


Bang and Burn 2: Compromised

by App1e_Juice



Series: Bang and Burn [3]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: BBH, BadBoyHalo - Freeform, DNF, F/M, Fundy - Freeform, Gang, Jschlatt - Freeform, Karl Jacobs - Freeform, Kidnapped, M/M, Nihachu - Freeform, Quackity - Freeform, Runaway, Skephalo, Wilbur Soot - Freeform, dream - Freeform, dreamnotfound, dreamwastaken - Freeform, georgenotfound - Freeform, megapvp - Freeform, philza - Freeform, sapnap - Freeform, secret agents, skeppy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29037519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/App1e_Juice/pseuds/App1e_Juice
Summary: After Agent Mega receives a life-changing phone call, all hell breaks loose. Now, having to balance their current mission to take down a gang, a missing teenage agent, and their personal lives, the MCYTers find themselves learning a lot more about living, love, and death than they ever wanted to. Featuring many new characters, join Dream and George as they attempt to navigate the challenges thrown at them by the series’ new villain.General TW:Harsh LanguageDepictions of injuries and deathUse of various weapons, such as guns, knives, and fireSome very gay fluff scenes (you’re welcome)
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch
Series: Bang and Burn [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2028179
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	1. Author’s Notes

Hello all!

Welcome to Bang and Burn 2: Compromised!

Before the story starts, I wanted to give some warnings.

**Not every character will have a happy ending. Not every character will survive.**

**This story WILL have many heavy angst scenes.**

_**If this bothers you, please do not read on.** _

With that being said, I also wanted to remind everyone of the basic trigger warnings that every chapter is at risk of having:

**-Harsh language**

**-Depictions of injuries and deaths**

**-the use of weapons in order to inflict pain against others**

If these things trigger you, this story may bot be for you. I will include trigger warnings in front of parts that are especially heavy, but other than that, please be aware of these basic, possibly triggering, things that the story will include.

I’d love to thank my amazing editors for editing these chapters and for helping me piece together this story’s plot:

-Lazycat881

-Maximum

-Rollingsoup

-a-lex

-Elliot

-Softfordream

-Annapitoot

And a super special thank you to my good friend, Sprite. I love ya honey. I miss you and I hope you enjoy this one! Can’t wait to hear what you think, hun. ✌️

Okay, without further ado, please enjoy

_**Bang and Burn 2: Compromised** _


	2. Chapter 1

Multiple pairs of black boots pounded against the floor as the agents ran down the corridor, holding their guns close to their chests. Their hearts pounded as they heard their enemies chasing them down, but they had no fear. They’d gone on many missions before, making this one a piece of cake. The roughest, and bravest, of the three lead the way while the other two fired at their pursuers. As soon as they lost sight of their attackers, the tall blond pulled his partners against a wall, allowing them all to catch their breaths. 

“How are we looking?” The tall blond asked. 

The brunette Brit responded, “I’m exhausted.” 

“Just hang in there,” the bravest of the three huffed out. “We’ve got this. We’re agents.”

The Brit rolled his eyes. “Let’s just keep going. Tommy? Dylan? You two take the lead. I’ll watch our backs.” 

Dylan saluted. “Yes, Toby.” He then punched the blond’s arm. “Let’s go, Tommy.” 

Toby made sure the area behind them stayed clear while Tommy and Dylan scouted ahead. Dylan found a staircase and motioned for his teammates to follow behind him. Once they got to the top, they had a clear view of their surroundings. Dylan knelt and aimed his gun at a man running around a large warehouse box and fired, making his laser tag vest light up. He smirked as he looked down at his team’s score. 

“We’ve got a solid lead,” Dylan announced. “All we have to do is stay safe, and we win this thing!” 

“Let’s go out there and get some more shots in,” Tommy suggested. “We need to continue growing our lead.”

“No, we need to stay in cover.”

Tommy shook his head. “Shut up, Dylan. I’m going to get more points.”

Dylan put his hand on Tommy’s chest and pushed him back. “I’m not letting you do that.”

“Who died and made you leader, huh?” Tommy challenged. Despite Dylan growing a few inches over the last year and a half, he was nowhere near Tommy’s height. That didn’t keep him from being intimidating. The shorty was just as threatening as ever. Unfortunately, Tommy and Toby seemed to be two of the few people that didn’t find him intimidating. After spending time together at each other’s homes and hang-out spots, they knew Dylan wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt them.

Before either one of them could make a move on each other, Toby forced himself between them. “Guys, please don’t do this today. It’s my birthday, and the one thing I wanted was to go one day without you two butting heads. Now, let’s calm down and come up with a plan.” As soon as Toby finished his sentence, the lights in the area turned on, ending the game and shutting off the lights on their vests and guns. The three walked in silence towards the entrance of the laser tag arena, eager to see their rankings. Once they made it back to the main area, they found their team name on the screen and cheered. They had won their fifth game in a row by a landslide. 

Dylan found himself becoming hypnotised by the colorful carpeting surrounding him as they walked to the snack stand. They walked past the ticket booth, full of different toys and knick knacks, including a giant stuffed dog that Dylan was determined to win for Sprite one day. Beside that was the mini golf stand where they’d pick their golf clubs from. This place had become a frequent place that they’d meet up at. They had gone there so often that Dylan was shocked that Toby wanted to spend his birthday there. He didn’t question it, though. He always had fun with them, even if he didn’t show it. Dylan kept checking his phone, catching Toby’s attention. 

“Everything okay?” Toby asked. 

“Hmm? Oh, uh, yeah,” Dylan replied. “Just waiting for Anna to text me. Xe should’ve been here by now.”

“Xe’ll be here, Dylan,” Toby reassured. “Xe would never miss out on my birthday.”

“You’re right, xe wouldn’t. But I’d be lying if I said xe wasn’t mad at me at the moment.”

Tommy raised his eyebrows at him while he pulled out a chair at the table they chose earlier. “What did you do and why didn’t we hear about it?”

Dylan rolled his eyes. “It’s not a big deal. Just a simple argument.”

Toby leaned on one of his hands. “Maybe we can help you?”

“There’s no helping this one.” Dylan put down his phone. “I want to go to college.”

Toby gave him a shocked look as Tommy burst into laughter. “You? College?” Tommy asked. “No way.”

Dylan sunk into his seat. “Is it that hard to imagine me wanting to pursue a higher education?”

“Yes,” Toby responded, still in shock. “But why does Anna care?”

“Well, I’d be moving back to California if I went to college. I don’t have the money to pay for college and my mom’s treatment at the same time, and I refuse to get student loans. I found this one program that’s willing to help with payments since my mom is sick, but I have to go to college in-state.”

Toby’s shock morphed into slight sadness. “You know, we’d miss you if you moved away.”

“I know, but I can’t live with Clay forever.”

“Why not?” Toby jokingly asked. “He seems to like you.”

“He has George now, and they are getting serious. It’s only a matter of time before they want to start a family of their own and I don’t want to interfere with that.” He looked back down at his phone. “I’m happy for them. I really am. I just don’t know if I fit in their plan.”

“Well, if they ever decide to kick you out, which they won’t, you can come live with me!” Toby stated. “My parents like you a lot, especially now that you don’t dye your hair black anymore.”

Dylan laughed as he ran a hand through his blond hair. “They didn’t like my emo phase?”

“You _are_ an emo phase,” Tommy teased. “But yeah, they apparently thought you were scary.”

“Well, you can thank Anna for that. Xe’s the one that encouraged me to let it grow out. It feels weird seeing it light again, but I don’t mind it.” 

“Have you guys given any thought to teams after we graduate?” Tommy asked. “Like, I know Dylan is talking about leaving, but if he wasn’t what’s your dream team?”

“The three of us, Anna, and maybe Sylvester?” Toby asked. “I don’t know if they’d want to join us. We already annoy them enough on the daily.”

“Oh, I forgot you guys work with Sylv!” Dylan said as he checked his phone again. “How is that going?”

“As well as it possibly could,” Toby admitted. “I work well with them, but Tommy constantly reminds them why they hate him.” Toby giggled. “He’s always finding some way to annoy them.” 

Tommy shrugged. “What can I say? It’s my charm.”

Tommy and Toby continued talking, but Dylan found himself getting distracted by a group of men in all black walking around the arcade. People wearing black weren’t anything out of the ordinary since people commonly wore black to play laser tag. What caught his attention was the fact that they weren’t doing anything. They’d meander around the different games, then stop to stare at Toby. The men were getting closer and closer, looking more suspicious as time went on. 

“Hey, don’t look, but have you two noticed men in black coming towards us?” Dylan asked. 

Toby’s smile was wiped from his face. “No...why?”

“Toby, I think you’re their target,” Dylan calmly explained. “Did you piss anyone off lately?” 

“I don’t think so. Maybe Tommy did, though.”

“I don’t piss people off, Toby!” Tommy stated, defensively. 

Toby raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really?”

“Not the time, guys,” Dylan whispered as his hand trailed down his black cargo pants. He reached into the pocket and slowly took out his watch communicator. He then pulled it up to his mouth. “This is Mega. I have reason to believe that Tubbo, Innit, and I are being watched. We are at the ‘Bay Arcade’. Be prepared to send back-up.” He gazed back towards the men to see them pulling out guns. His heart stopped for a second as he looked around for anything that could inspire a plan. Dylan stopped looking around when his eyes fell on the table he was sitting at. He stood up, threw the table on its side, and pulled Tommy and Toby down behind it just as the men began firing at them. 

The arcade turned into chaos as people ran and screamed at the top of their lungs. Despite the stampede around them, then men were careful to only shoot at the table to get the teenagers. Miraculously, no one got hurt. The boys were also shocked that the table was holding up as well as it was. The wood was thick enough to keep them safe from the barrage of bullets.

Dylan instinctually reached down to grab his gun but groaned when he remembered Toby begged him to come unarmed. “Damn it. We didn’t bring our weapons in!”

“I didn’t think we’d need to bring real guns to laser tag!” Toby yelled as he pulled his legs into his chest. He locked his fingers together, then pulled his head down and against his knees to keep his head safe. 

Dylan got back on his communicator and yelled, “I was right! It’s an attack. Send back up! NOW!”

“Is Clay at the office right now?” Tommy yelled over the gunfire. 

Dylan shook his head. “My entire team is out on a mission right now. Call Sylv and the rest of your team to see if they can come help.”

Tommy nodded and did what he said as Dylan glanced at the ticket booth. In the glass, he could see the reflection of the men coming towards them while everyone else fled the building. Everyone, except one figure that he couldn’t see the face of. They were running towards the men. At first, Dylan thought that they were an accomplice, there to help the men. But when he heard a familiar voice, he suddenly felt less scared. 

“GET AWAY FROM THEM!” a voice screeched. Dylan peeked out from behind the table to see Anna on the back of one of the men. Xe was grabbed from behind, but as xe was pulled away, Anna managed to lock xyr legs around the man xe was attached to. When xe was pulled away, xe twisted xyr legs and brought the man down with xem. Another man took aim at Anna, but xe kicked the gun out of his hands, then shot him. Xe aimed at the third man, but he held up his hands and retreated out the front doors. 

Xe laughed and shook xyr head. “You guys seriously couldn’t handle three dudes? They were nothing.”

Dylan stood up from behind the table and offered his hand to Tommy to help him up. “We came unarmed, Anna. We didn’t exactly have the means to defend ourselves.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky I’m here now. Wouldn’t want your pretty faces getting rearranged today.” 

Dylan smirked. “Aw, you think I’m pretty?”

Anna laughed and punched him in the arm. “You know what I meant.” Xe then looked at Toby, who seemed to be bummed out about something. “You okay?”

Toby shrugged. “I was kind of hoping I wouldn’t have to talk to the police on my birthday.” 

Anna nodded. “Fair enough. You guys ready to head out? We can pick up a pizza and go hang out at Toby’s treehouse or something instead.”

“Only if you’re paying,” Dylan teased as he started walking towards the doors. He stopped when he noticed a black van pull up in front of the glass doors. At first, he thought it was a Forte vehicle. But when he saw more men in black that he didn’t recognize, he held his arm out beside him to keep anyone from passing. “You know those guys?”

Tommy squinted his eyes and crossed his arms. “I don’t recognize them.”

Dylan’s heartbeat picked up when he saw them coming towards the doors, holding guns. “SHIT! We need to hide!” 

The four looked around for any sort of cover, stopping when Toby pointed towards the “Employees Only” door behind the ticket redemption booth. “We can hide in there!”

“We’ll be sitting ducks if we lock ourselves in!” Anna yelled. 

“All we have to do is last long enough for Forte to get here. Dylan already called HQ, and I’m sure the police are coming too. We have to last, what, ten minutes? We’ve got this.” Toby grabbed Anna’s wrist and began dragging xem towards the door. “COME ON!”

Dylan and Tommy began sprinting towards the door. When Tommy got close enough, he jumped up and slid across the ticket counter, then winked at Dylan when he landed. 

Dylan scoffed. “Show off.”

“Try-hard!” Tommy retorted as he opened the door. The four piled into a worker’s lounge type area and closed the door behind them just as the men entered the arcade. 

Dylan ran for a brown, tattered couch beside the door and began pushing. Though his leg had healed since being attacked months ago, he could still feel pain in it whenever he put too much strain on it. Nevertheless, he pushed with all of the strength he could muster to barricade the door with the couch. Tommy noticed him struggling and jumped in to help. Toby also joined in, grabbing the other end to pull it towards the door. They managed to block the door before the men got there, allowing them some time to think. 

Dylan dropped to the ground and grabbed his leg where his leg was injured before. Anna got on a knee beside him. “You alright?”

Dylan exhaled deeply. “I’ll be fine. Just hurts.”

Anna stood up and offered xyr hand out to him. Dylan took it, and xe helped him stand and didn’t let go until he had his balance back. 

The men on the other side of the door began banging away, doing everything they could to get the door open. Dylan backed away from it and looked at his friends. “It won’t hold forever. Spread out and look for weapons.”

“They don’t carry guns in an arcade like this, genius,” Tommy pointed out. 

  
“No,” Toby agreed, “but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from weapon engineering, it’s that _anything_ can be a weapon. Tommy, hand me a pen and a rubber band. I know what to do.”

———

**Word Count: 2458**

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of B&B2! If you are interested in checking out more Bang and Burn content, join my discord server! Server members get access to Dylan's personal text messages from the story and may even catch one of the many agents from Forte chatting in the server! Don't be afraid to dm them either. They'll answer. ;)

Discord - https://discord.gg/f42e8V9dQD

_Published: January 28th_


	3. Chapter 2

“Alright, George. Everyone is in place. Work your magic, and get out fast. We’re only here for information and nothing more.”

George adjusted his blue bowtie. “You got it, Dream.” He rolled his head until it popped, then headed into the casino to meet up with an agent he had never met before. 

Since Forte began receiving funding from Clay, he had been working on expanding the company, eventually buying out an agency that handled lower-profile cases. While fighting to take down Illumina, they had been handling common missing people, theft, and domestic violence cases. One of the teams had discovered that what was supposed to be a missing person case was much more than they could handle and were ready to hand off the investigation to agents who were better suited for the job. That was all the information they had. Clay offered to meet the team at Forte, but they refused, believing that it was too dangerous. 

So now, they had to meet at a casino full of drunk people looking to blow away their paychecks at a chance to hit it big.

George never saw the appeal in gambling. Losing everything, just for a slim shot at winning, seemed counter-productive in his eyes. He’d rather stick with what he had than risk it all for a chance at something more. Some may call him a coward for his way of thinking, but he didn’t care. Better safe than sorry. 

All of the flashing lights from the game machines around him were hypnotising, each one making him more and more distracted. The strong smell of alcohol began to throw off his senses as well. Had he not seen Nick standing at a slot machine nearby, he may have forgotten he was there to do a job. Nick playfully winked at him, making George smile. 

Nick looked away and pressed his finger to his earpiece. “I got him to smile. 404 is golden. Now we just have to find this chick and bounce.”

“What do we know about her?” George asked as he scanned the rows of games. 

“She’s nearly the same height as Dylan. She’s got short blonde hair and blue eyes. She said she’d be wearing a red dress. I believe she’s German,” Clay explained. 

Down one of the rows, George spotted Wilbur, who looked shocked. They locked eyes for a second as George walked by. “Did she give a name?” Wilbur asked. 

“Nihachu,” Clay responded. 

“Oh my fucking god,” Wilbur mumbled. 

“You good?” Nick asked. 

“Just peachy,” Wilbur responded, sounding floored.

George continued looking down the rows of games until he noticed a blonde woman leaning against a slot machine, holding a glass of wine in her hand. Wrapped around one of her wrists was the same kind of communicator other Forte agents used and she held a large purse that was capable of hiding files. He pushed past the crowd until he reached her, then smiled. After picking up a few tips from Finnster, George had no problem being charismatic and flirty. He was finding that as long as he felt confident, it was something that came naturally to him. 

He leaned against his arm he propped up beside her head. He gave a sultry half-smile. “Hi there. What’s your name?”

She covered her mouth as she giggled. “Okay, you’re good.” 

George smiled widely when he heard her accent. “I believe I was supposed to meet you here.”

“404?” She asked. 

“The one and only.”

She shook her head as she reached into her purse. “You know, I was taught how not to get myself honey-trapped, yet here I am, swooning over some other agent.”

George’s smile faltered. “I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not.”

She laughed again as she handed him a manilla folder with some paper in it. “It’s half sarcastic. You’re cute, so I see why you’re working with one of the top teams, but you’re not my type.”

“How do you know I’m not your type? You don’t know me.”

“I know you’re gay.”

George closed his eyes and pursed his lips together to keep from laughing. “Okay, okay. Fair enough.”

“I’ve also already got my eyes on someone else,” Nihachu stated as she looked over George’s shoulder. She waved. George looked behind him to see Wilbur staring at them, his jaw dropped at the sight of Nihachu. “So, why did they send a honeytrap to do a field agent’s job?” 

“Oh, well, I’m best suited for this sort of thing. My team consists of a guy who has anger issues, a guy who is super protective, so he spends his time watching security cameras and stuff, and a trainee who isn’t ready for this yet. We have another guy that usually does these sort of things, but he’s at a birthday party. He’s also a teenager, so he’d stick out in here.”

Niki nodded. “Understood. I see why they sent you now.”

“Wait, how did you know I was the honey trap of my group?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just easy to tell who the honeytraps are. You all have this weird confidence about you. You’re all also super attractive somehow.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Clay groaned, causing George to laugh. “You got the files. Now leave. No need to stay with the pretty girl who thinks you’re cute.”

George held his hand out. “It was nice meeting you, Nihachu.”

She took his hand, then pulled him into a hug. She pressed the button on George’s earpiece then whispered, “Someone’s watching. I’ll have my team sync our channels so we can get the files out safely. Don’t mind me while I flirt with your boyfriend. 404, play along.” She backed away and gave George a playful smile. “Come with me. I have something to show you.” She held out her hand. George took it and bit his lip. “Lead the way.”

She took him into a small hallway that led to the bathrooms. She looked behind them to make sure they weren’t being followed, then got on her earpiece. “Punz, I need you to connect our channel with this other team’s channel. It’s the same guys again.”

They waited a minute, then George heard a new voice on his earpiece. “Niki, can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” she responded. 

“404? Can you hear me?” He asked. 

“Yeah, you’re here.”

“Perfect. My name is Punz. I work with Nihachu. Agent Ponk is currently on his way to help. He will cause a distraction. You need to get out of there. Protect those files with your life.”

Niki then grabbed George’s hand and pulled him out of the hall and towards the front doors, where Nick and Wilbur were waiting. Just as they reached the doors, the fire alarm went off and a man with a British accent said, “You have three minutes to get out of there. We can reconvene elsewhere,” over their earpieces. Outside, their team van came to a stop and Clay opened the doors using the new function that Skeppy had added to it just a week earlier. 

George hopped in first and pulled Niki in behind him. Nick and Wilbur joined them, closing the door behind them. Clay pulled out of the parking lot and began driving down the street as people came running out of the casino. 

“Wait, no one sits in your passenger seat?” Niki asked. 

“Remember that teenager I mentioned?” George asked. “Yeah, he gets territorial over his space.” 

“Why do you give him so much power?” 

Nick looked off into space as if having a war flashback. “You don’t want to make the gremlin angry.”

Once they were slightly down the street, Clay turned on the speakers in the car. “Hey, uh, Punz, right?” he asked. 

“I’m here. Before you ask, yes, I’m sending you a place to drop Niki off. You have those files?”

Clay looked over his shoulder to George, who had the manila folder in his hands. “Yeah, we have them.” 

“Perfect. I’m rerouting your van to the new location. Talk later.” They then heard the familiar beeping sound as he disconnected from the channel. 

“That was weird,” Nick thought out loud. “There were people there, but they didn’t attack or anything. They were just... _ watching _ .”

“Yep,” Niki confirmed. “We’ve had a few people following us for months now. We don’t know who they are or what they want. They just sit and stare, but our boss has encouraged us to flee whenever that happens.”

“Who, Darryl?” George asked. 

“No, our original boss, Sam.” 

George nodded. “Right, got it.”

“So, you don’t even know if they have any malicious intent?” Nick asked. 

Niki’s shoulders dropped. “Nope. I wish I knew, though. It’s scary out there when you don’t know who the good guys are.”

George looked down at his phone as it went off. He unlocked it to find a message from Zak. 

**Zak**

_ GEORGE! TWO MONTHS! HELP! _

George giggled to himself as he responded. 

**George**

_ I know! You make sure to remind me every day. _

**Zak**

_ HOW ARE YOU NOT FREAKING OUT ABOUT THIS?! _

**George**

_ I’d freak out if it was happening to me, but because this is your thing, I’m fine lol _

**Zak**

_ Brb. Getting a phone call.  _

George shook his head as he looked up. “Does Zak ever text you guys with his constant panics, or is it just me?”

Wilbur raised his hand. “He messages me too. I offered to be supportive, but I have no idea how to help him. He’s going to be a parent in two months and there is nothing I can say or do to help him calm down.”

“I still can’t believe that Zak and Darryl are going to be parents soon!” Nick exclaimed. “I mean, how cool is that?!” 

“It’s cool until Zak has a daily panic attack over it in your text messages,” George stated, holding up his phone. “He’s terrified.”

“So, Wilbur, how have you been?” Niki asked as George and Nick continued chatting about Zak. 

Niki addressing Wilbur directly threw him off. “Oh, I’m, uh, good. Good. Everything is good. As you can see, I have a job now.”

“I see that! How was Christmas?”

He smiled sweetly. “Amazing. We got to go ice skating, and my mother made a lovely dinner. I also got to hang out with some of my cousins who I haven’t seen in a while.”

“That’s awesome, Wilbur!” 

“It’s all thanks to you,” he reminded her shyly. “I wouldn’t have been able to go without you.” 

She tucked her hair behind her ear. “There was no way I could’ve  _ not _ helped you. You seemed so sweet when we first met. I could tell you were good, so I thought, ‘why not?’”

“Well, if you want to give me the chance, I’d love to repay you.”

“Oh, no, I don’t need you to pay me back.”

“I was actually hoping I could take you out for coffee or something! There’s this one place I know of that’s really cool. I mean, there’s this one tall dude who wears beanies who plays there and he sucks, but everything else about it is awesome!”

She giggled. “You don’t suck, Wilbur. I really like your music. Especially the one about the e-girl.”

“What can I say? I’m a simp.” After another moment of laughter, the van came to a stop. “So, is that a yes?”

Niki looked away from Wilbur and out the window to see a guy with curly blond hair and light eyes standing on the sidewalk. “I’ve got to go! We can chat later, okay?” She patted his arm, then opened the door and left the van. When she got to the sidewalk, the guy pulled her into a tight, bear hug. 

Wilbur slumped into his seat. “Fuck.”

Nick noticed the hug and winced. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Wil. That’s brutal. What an awful way to find out she’s taken.”

Wilbur shook his head. “It’s always the blond guys that fuck up your love life.”

“I’m hurt Wilbur!” Clay yelled jokingly from the front seat. “Really, really hurt.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes and threw an empty can of melon milk at him. “Fuck you and drive.”

They didn’t make it five minutes before getting a phone call from Zak. When Clay answered it over the speakers, they could hear that he sounded slightly panicked. 

“Guys, stop what you’re doing and reroute your van,” Zak demanded. “Toby’s birthday party was interrupted, and he is held up at the Bay Arcade with Tommy, Anna, and Dylan. I need you guys to meet me there ASAP.”

“Send me the address,” Clay responded, and he turned the van around. “We’ll be there soon. Tell them to hang on and help is on the way.”

———  
 **Word Count: 2137**

If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider joining my discord! We have a lot of fun there. The link will be posted in the comments attached to the link itself! :D

Discord - https://discord.gg/f42e8V9dQD

_Published:_ _February_ _1st_


	4. Chapter 3

“So, when you pull back this part of the pen, the rubber band will launch it extremely fast,” Toby explained as he handed a makeshift weapon to Tommy. 

Tommy examined the broken pen. Toby had pulled the ink cartridge out of it out and turned it around in the plastic casing, then removed the spring and everything else so that the cartridge could move freely. He then wrapped a rubber band around the plastic casing and tied it in a way that would allow the user to pull the ink cartridge back and use it as a weapon. He also broke all of the other pens they could find and gave the ink cartridges to Tommy. He smiled at his new weapon. “Did they teach you this in class?”

Toby nodded. “Yep! Pretty cool, huh?”

Tommy launched one of the ink cartridges into a nearby box and cheered when he watched it dig a hole into the cardboard. “That’ll work!”

Toby then grabbed a small mini-golf club and handed it to Dylan. “Think you can make use of this?”

Dylan took the club from Toby. “I can make anything dangerous.”

“That’s the spirit!” Toby said encouragingly. “Okay, lastly, I have Anna’s weapon.” Toby bent down and grabbed a hula hoop off of the floor and tossed it towards Anna, who caught it in the air. 

“Okay, haha funny,” Anna stated sarcastically. “For real, where is my weapon?” 

Toby pointed at the hula hoop. “You’re holding it.”

Anna looked down at the pink hoop. “You’ve got to be joking!”

“I’m not,” Toby responded. He grabbed the gun that Anna had seized from the man earlier and checked the magazine to see how much ammo was left. “I’ve got eight shots in here. That should be enough!”

Anna crossed xyr arms. “Okay, why the fuck do you get the gun? Dylan is the best shot we’ve got. Hell, even I’m better than you, yet you still gave me a goddamn hula hoop!”

“You two know how to shoot to kill. I know how to shoot to wound. We want these guys  _ alive _ , Anna.” As much as xe hated it, Anna knew he was right. 

The four prepped themselves, then headed towards a second door that opened up to the back of the snack bar. They had agreed to take down the people after them before help got there so that things would go by faster. It also didn’t hurt that it’d look good for them if they could pull this off. Dylan couldn’t help but smile when everyone saw that four junior agents did an improvised mission independently. It was exactly what he needed to prove to Darryl and Zak that he could manage his own team. This whole thing was partially his idea anyway. 

They made it to the door and opened it to find no one there. Tommy silently laughed when he saw the crowd of men still trying to knock down the door they saw the kids go through. Dylan pointed to Tommy and Toby and motioned for them to take cover behind the ticket counter. Having the two ranged weapons, they needed the most cover to fire from. He then grabbed Anna’s hand and crouched down, dragging xem to an old Pac-Man machine. As soon as everyone was set in place, Dylan loudly whistled, getting everyone’s attention. 

“HERE’S HOW THIS IS GONNA GO!” Dylan announced. “YOU CAN DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND SURRENDER, OR PREPARE TO GET HURT.”

One of the men laughed. “Come on out, kid! We just want to chat with you!” 

“So you have chosen  **death** ,” Dylan stated. “Good luck with that.” Dylan once again used the ticket counter glass to watch reflections. He made out five figures, each one significantly bigger than the teens. But what they lacked in size, they made up for in skill and speed. They broke up into two groups, three of them heading towards Dylan’s voice and two of them staying behind. As soon as one of them got close enough, Dylan swung the golf club down and tripped the man. Dylan then sprung up from behind the machine and swung at the closest guy behind him. The man caught the club and pushed Dylan back, pinning against a small basketball game. 

Anna jumped up and wrapped the hula hoop around his neck, then pulled back, choking him. Though xe pulled as hard as xe could, the man was an absolute unit, making him nearly unmovable. The third man with him grabbed Anna and threw xem to the ground. Anna dropped the hula hoop, and the man stepped right in the middle of it. He pulled out his gun to shoot xem but was hit with one of Tommy’s pens in the arm. The ink cartridge pierced his skin and began dripping with blood. Seeing an opening, Anna grabbed xyr hula hoop and pulled towards xem, making the man’s knees give out from under him. When he fell, he hit the man attacking Dylan and brought him down as he collided with the ground. 

Dylan ran to Anna and helped xem up. “You good?” 

Anna rubbed the back of xyr head as xe nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” 

Dylan then looked back at the man who was attacking him earlier. “Toby, shoot him.”

Toby poked his head out from behind the counter and shot at the man, getting him in his leg. Dylan gave Toby a thumbs up, then prepped his golf club for the other two men. The confidence he had was quickly washed away when he saw both of them pull out their guns. Anna grabbed Dylan and pulled him down behind another game machine as they opened fire at them.

Tommy rolled out from behind the counter and launched a few ink cartridges into one of the men while Toby shot down the other. They high fived each other, proud at how fast they were able to overpower the people after them. Dylan and Anna peeked out from behind the machine, then left their hiding spot when they saw it was safe. The four met up right in front of the ticket counter as the arcade doors burst open. 

Unsurprisingly, the first person there was Wilbur. He marched straight up to Tommy and began inspecting him. “Are you guys, okay? Anyone get hurt?” While he directed his question at everyone, Dylan rolled his eyes, knowing he really only wanted an answer from Tommy. 

Tommy grabbed Wilbur’s hands and removed them from the sides of his face. “We’re fine, Wilbur. Dylan’s leg hurts, and I think Anna got hit in the back of the head, but nothing serious.”

The rest of Dylan’s team entered, along with a few other Forte agents, including Darryl. He ordered the agents to arrest the men on the ground while he questioned Dylan on what had happened. “Alright, fill me in. Give me your report.”

“Agents Tubbo, Tommy, and I were sitting at a table when three men attacked us. Agent Sprite took them down, but some of their allies overpowered us. We retreated into a backroom where Tubbo was able to get us some items to defend ourselves with. In the end, it was our smooth teamwork that brought us the win.” 

“Thank you. I’ll have your team escort you guys back to Forte where we can fill out a formal report. Also, your team has a new mission that you may be interested in hearing about. I’ll give you a call when you begin your trip back to the offices.”

Dylan nodded his head. “Yes, sir. Oh, and uh, Darryl? Can I come by sometime tonight? I think I left my earbuds on the desk in the study.”

Darryl smiled. “Sure! You’re also welcome to stay for dinner if you’d like.” 

“No can do, dad. George is making dinner tonight.”

“Ah, understandable. I’ll see you later tonight then!” 

Dylan winked as he joined the rest of his team, who were going through a manila folder. Clay was reading some of the info out loud while George took notes. 

“It says that we’re going to be hunting down a gang that is responsible for taking agents,” Clay explained. “Agent Nihachu and her team were attempting to locate a missing teenager, but learned that he was an agent who was taken by a gang.”

“Do you have the agent’s name?” Dylan asked as he listened in. 

“Agent Ranboo.”

Dylan closed his eyes in thought. “I think I remember him. He’s a new guy. I think Tommy met him briefly. He was in the junior program.”

“Well, he wasn’t the only junior agent who was taken,” Clay said as he flipped to the next page. “It looks like almost every single one of these agents is a junior agent.”

“Do you think they are targeting teens on purpose or something?” Nick asked, pulling the papers so he could see them. “I mean, whoever is doing this is trying to hit us where we’re weak.”

“Junior agents aren’t weak,” Dylan scoffed. 

“Not all of you are, but some of you can barely shoot a gun. You are one of the few exceptions,” Clay pointed out. 

“Do you have any leads that we can start with?” Dylan asked. 

Clay flipped through the papers some more, then stopped on a page towards the end of the pile. “All we have at the moment is the date and location of an upcoming initiation. But the event is only for teenagers.”

Dylan shrugged. “Alright. Get me there, and I can infiltrate the place. I can relay information and locate the agents, then get out. Easy.”

“It’s not as easy as you’d think,” George stated. “If they find out that you are a junior agent, you’re screwed. They’d kill you in an instant.”

“I’ve done undercover work before, George. I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t feel comfortable sending you in alone,” Clay said as he tucked the papers back into the folder. “You’d be dead the second you stepped in there. I say we wait it out and conduct our own investigation and then strike when we know it’s safe. Besides, Darryl says he has a mission for us relating to this. We can’t do our own thing if he needs us somewhere.”

“Speaking of which, we should get going,” Wilbur spoke up from behind Dylan. “Dylan has to file the report and we need to get our next assignment.” 

Clay nodded and grabbed George’s hand. “I think we are good to go then.” They took off, leaving Nick, Wilbur, and Dylan alone for a second. 

“Anything else I should know?” Dylan asked. 

“Yeah, actually!” Nick responded. “Remember that lady that Wilbur met who gave him money for Christmas?” Dylan nodded. “She’s Agent Nihachu.”

“Oh, dude, that’s awesome! Dating someone who works at Forte makes balancing work and relationships so much easier.”

“She’s taken, Dylan,” Nick whispered. 

“Oh, shit, dude. I am so sorry to hear that.”

Wilbur shook his head and headed for the entrance. “It’s whatever. It’s not like I knew her anyway.”

Nick and Dylan walked side by side as Nick continued gossiping about Nihachu. “She’s taken by a blond guy too. The blonds are the ones that fuck you up.” He then glanced at Dylan’s hair that was hanging slightly in his face. “No offense.”

“Oh, I’ll fuck you up, just not in the way you were talking about.” 

“You know, after watching you eat a can of spaghettios that you heated using your space heater, you are ten times less frightening.” 

“Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures! Besides, Zak called me a genius when he saw it.”

“This is the same man that struggles to work the microwave. His compliments mean nothing in this case.”

“Touche.” Dylan laughed. “You know, he is the stupidest smart guy I’ve ever met.”

“He’s smart when it counts, but don’t tell him I said that. I don’t want him getting a big head over it.”

Dylan opened the door for Nick and ushered him through. “You got it.” By the time they made it out, Clay had already brought the van around. Dylan opened the passenger side door and jumped inside as Nick crawled into the back seat. 

As Nick strapped himself in, he glared at Dylan. “You know, maybe Niki was right. I think we did give the teenager too much power.” 

Dylan turned in his seat. “If you want this seat, you’ll have to kill me first.”

“I’m prepared to do that,” Nick responded, placing his hand on his gun. 

“You kill my child, I kill you,” Clay threatened, glaring into the rearview mirror at Nick. 

Nick smiled and sat back in his seat. “Just a joke, man. Lighten up!” As the car started, Nick leaned towards George. “He was joking, right?” 

“Nope,” George responded. ‘They’ve gotten incredibly close. Mess with one, and they both pounce.”

“Oh, lovely. I’ll keep that in mind, I guess.”

———  
 **Word Count: 2158**

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_Published:_ _February_ _5th_


	5. Chapter 4

“After investigating the disappearance of a group of teens in the Tampa area, I’ve found that they were junior agents,” Nick read aloud from the report in his hands. “With further investigation, I found that there have been many agents going missing, including Forte’s own Agent Ranboo. In the following pages, I have outlined the investigation that my partners and I took. I hope it brings you enough information to complete what we couldn’t.” He looked up from the paper. “Signed, Nihachu.”

Clay took the file from the table and opened it up. “Looks like we’ll be hunting down a gang of some sort.”

Wilbur sunk back into his seat. “Oh,  _ fun _ .” 

“Do you have anything on the leader?” George asked. 

Clay skimmed the next few pages. “Nothing. All I have is the name of one of his associates who died.” He narrowed his eyes, then mumbled, “Oh, shit,” as he read further. “Hey, Dylan? Do you remember when that guy attacked Tubbo a few months back? The guy that you-”

“Yeah, yeah, I remember.” Dylan was quick to interrupt, not wanting to relive that day. “You don’t forget killing someone.”

George reached over the table, and lovingly rubbed his arm. “Hey, it was out of self-defense. If you didn’t kill Slimecicle, Toby would have died.”

Dylan pulled his arm away and held it against his chest. “Doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Anyway,” Clay said, getting their attention. “I have his death report. Niki believed that he was one of the higher-ranking people in this gang apparently.”

A knock at the door turned everyone’s attention towards the conference room’s entrance. Zak leaned against the doorway and smiled. “Mind if I join in?”

Wilbur stood up and motioned for him to join them. As Zak got closer, Wilbur patted his back. “Hey, Zak! How is my favorite boss doing?”

“I’m hanging in there.”

“You ready to be a dad soon?” Nick asked. 

Zak stared at the wall and slowly nodded. “Yeah...sure am. I was hoping I could sit in with you guys to learn a bit about this mission.” He then looked at Dylan. “Darryl wants to see you, by the way. It’s urgent.” 

Dylan stood up from the table and pushed his chair in. He then grabbed his backpack and left the room without a word. 

As soon as he was out of earshot, Nick asked, “Is Darryl finally firing him?”

Zak laughed. “No, it’s just about his graduation.”

Nick mumbled, “Dammit.”

“So, why are you  _ really _ here?” Clay asked him. “You don’t ever ask about our missions anymore.” 

“Well, I heard what this was about, and I wanted to talk to you guys about it while Dylan was gone.” Zak picked at his fingernails as he spoke. “If you continue reading, you’ll find that the gang is specifically after young agents. Fundy was able to get his hands on a transmission of Slimecicle’s last words.” He swallowed hard. “He told whoever was on the other end that he was going to kill Agent Mega, but he mistook him for Tubbo. They are both in great danger. The gang is hunting for someone who looks like Tubbo but has Mega’s name.”

“Is that all you needed to tell us?” George asked. 

Zak ran a hand through his hair. “No. I think we need to remove Dylan from the mission.”

  
  
  


Dylan walked down the hallway, anxious to talk to Darryl. Outside of work, Darryl was a father figure who wanted nothing more than for Dylan to be happy. But, at work, he almost seemed even more intimidating than Technoblade was. He carried himself with a new confidence that no one had seen before, not even Zak. Part of Dylan loved seeing him come across as this tough person who wasn’t taken for granted anymore. But the other part of him hated that the friendliest person at Forte was now in business mode 24/7. 

Dylan knocked on the door to Darryl’s office, entering when he heard his soft voice welcome him in. Darryl motioned to the seat in front of his desk, then pulled out some files as Dylan made himself comfortable. 

“Hey, Dylan! I wanted to touch base with you about what happens after your graduation.”

Dylan groaned. “You’re firing me. Damn it.”

“Language! And no, I’m not firing you.” He opened up a blue folder. “About a month ago, you submitted a team request. You stated that you wanted to start a team consisting of you, Sprite, Innit, Tubbo, and Red Panda, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, let me get this straight. You wanted to take up a leadership role, leaving Panda and Sprite as field agents, Tubbo as your weapon engineer, and Innit to do, and I quote, ‘Whatever he wants’?”

“I know it sounds messy, but we make a really good team! And I didn’t put down a specific role for Tommy because he’d hate any assignment given to him because of me.”

Darryl looked back at the team request Dylan had submitted. “You know how much work it takes to be a leader, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m not sure you do, Dylan.” Darryl put the folder down. “I get it. Now that you are old enough to graduate from a junior agent, you think you are ready to take on the world. I was like that too. But what you need to understand is that there is so much more to being a team leader than just showing up.”

“I understand that. I really do. But I can do this. I know I can do this.”

“I don’t doubt your skills. You are one of the most capable people I know. But that’s part of what makes you so dangerous. I fear that you’ll go into missions thinking that you can do things that you just aren’t ready for.”

Dylan crossed his arms. “You underestimate me.”

“No, you overestimate yourself,” Darryl corrected. “Look, you are so important to so many people here. I just don’t want to lose you.”

“Can you at least give me a chance?”

“A chance?”

The gears in Dylan’s head started to turn as he thought of any way he could show Darryl he could lead a team. He eventually settled on the only conclusion he could think of. “What if I took up a bigger role in my team’s next mission?”

Darryl sat back in his chair. “I’m listening.”

“I can talk to Clay to see if there is anything I can do in particular to help. I can show you that I can be a leader by being a leader for my current team!” 

“I’m not so sure that Clay will be too fond of putting you into harm’s way-”

“But I’m almost an adult! This could be something that benefits both of us. He learns to let me grow up, and I learn how to lead. Sounds like a win-win to me.”

Darryl sighed. “You know what, if you can prove to me that you can handle being a leader during your current mission, the job is yours when you graduate.”

Dylan smiled widely. “Wait, really?! Thank you so much, Darryl! You won’t regret this. I promise.” Dylan stood up to leave but stopped before he reached the door. “Hey, mind if I stop by your place tonight? I left my laptop last time I stayed over, and I need it for work.”

“Yes, of course! Will you be staying for dinner?”

“Probably not. It’s George’s turn to cook, and that man is talented in the kitchen. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.” He opened up the door and stepped out of Darryl’s office. “See ya!” Dylan closed the door behind him and began walking towards the elevator, losing himself in his imagination. He was so close to finally having his own team, he could nearly taste it. All he had to do was step up during the next mission. He was so lost in his daze that he almost ran into a familiar face that he had bonded with extensively over the last few months. 

“Woah, there,” a familiar New Zealand accent said, just barely catching Dylan by his shoulders before they ran into each other. “You good?”

“Oh, uh, hey, Elliot! What are you doing up here? Isn’t your office down a few floors?”

Elliot smiled. “Oh, I’m actually here to pick up my new ID.”

“Oh?” Dylan asked as he took a second to process Elliot’s comment. “OH! Oh my god, that’s right! I forgot it came in today! How’ve you been feeling lately?”

“A lot better, actually.” He fished his old ID out of his pocket, the lights above them reflecting over the name written on it, “Grayson”. “I’m so ready to get rid of this thing.”

“You should ask Darryl if you can light it on fire or something!” Dylan suggested, sounding almost too excited. 

Elliot giggled as he put the old ID back in his pocket. “You’ve been hanging out with Ciara too much, haven’t you?”

“Dude, the two of us kick ass when we play Uno together. We’ve bonded. Deal with it.”

Elliot playfully rolled his eyes. “So, what were you doing up here?”

“Darryl wanted to talk to me about my job after graduation. It looks like I’ve got a shot at building my own team!”

Elliot’s smile dropped slightly. “Oh, okay. Well, my original offer still stands, you know? My team could use someone like you.”

“A moody asshole?”

Elliot covered his mouth as a wheeze escaped his lips. “You’re the best moody asshole, I know.” He checked his watch. “Oh, I need to get going! It’s almost time for my appointment.” He pulled Dylan into a hug. “I know you don’t like being touched, but you look like you need love.” Dylan tensed up and didn’t hug back, but he didn’t push Elliot away either. Instead, he awkwardly stood there until the hug was over. Elliot pulled away, feeling just as awkward as Dylan looked. “I’m just going to go now-”

“That’s probably a good idea.” As Elliot continued his walk down the hall, Dylan called out, “SAY HI TO EVERYONE FOR ME!”

Elliot turned around and winked. “WILL DO!”

Dylan hit the elevator’s call button and waited for it to arrive, still feeling weird about the hug. He was comfortable around Elliot. Hell, he was the older brother he never had. But he was still getting used to normal human interactions. He couldn’t stop thinking about it the whole elevator ride down. Part of him wished he could rewind time and hug Elliot back. But his thoughts were interrupted when the elevator doors opened on his floor. When he walked into the conference room, he found everyone crowded around Zak and his phone. Zak looked extremely pale to the point that Dylan thought he was going to be sick. 

“Is that-” George started to ask. 

“Yeah,” Zak interrupted. “That’s her.”

“I’ve never seen a sonogram picture before,” Nick whispered. 

Zak handed his phone to Clay and squeezed out of the tight huddle everyone was in. “I’m freaking out.”

“What’s going on?” Dylan asked. 

Clay showed Zak’s phone to Dylan. “Zak got a picture of the soon-to-be-born baby he’s adopting.” 

Dylan took the phone and scanned the black and white photo, just barely able to make out the outline of a baby. “Wow. Shit just got real.” 

“Tell me about it!” Zak took his phone back from Dylan. “I’ve been freaking out ever since I was sent this photo.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “I’m going to be a dad, and I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Don’t worry, Zak!” George said encouragingly. “You’ve got all of us to help you through this. Your child is our child.”

“COMMUNISM!” Wilbur yelled. 

Zak looked at Wilbur, then at George. “ _ Thanks _ . That was  _ so _ comforting.”

“I mean it, Zak.” George bent down, so he was at Zak’s eye-level. “We are all here to help you, however we can. When is the baby due?”

“Eight weeks.” 

“Perfect!” George shouts. “That gives us enough time to properly prepare for this!”

“And, don’t forget, you have Darryl,” Clay reminded him. “You two are going to be amazing.” 

Zak stood up and shoved his hands into his blue hoodie pockets. “I don’t know. I got to go. I’ll catch up with you guys later.” 

Everyone wished him well and he left the room, seeming more frightened than he was when he thought Clay wanted him dead. George couldn’t help but pity him as he watched him go, hoping that he’d feel better soon. All he could do was be supportive until it was time.

———  
 **Word Count: 2054**

If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider joining my discord! We have a lot of fun there. The link will be posted in the comments attached to the link itself! :D

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_Published:_ _February_ _8th_


	6. Chapter 5

“You ready?” Clay asked as George put some finishing touches on the soup in the pot.

“I should be asking you that.”

Clay leaned on the counter beside George. “Can’t you do all of the talking? You’re better at this than I am.”

“You and I both know that he needs to hear it from you, not me.”

Clay stood behind George, wrapped his arms around his waist, and rested his head on his shoulder. “What if he hates me?”

“He could never hate you, Clay.” George reached up and rubbed his cheek. “Everything is going to be okay and I’ll be right here to make sure of that.”

Clay buried his face into George’s neck. “Thank you, lovely.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything.” George tapped his spoon on the side of the pot, sending droplets of soup flying. He then placed the spoon off to the side and grabbed Clay’s hands, which were now situated on his hips. “I have to call Dylan down.”

“Just one more minute?” Clay’s voice vibrated off of George’s skin, sending a pleasant feeling through his body. “Please?”

George wanted to stay there all day in his lover’s arms. He felt so safe. Safer than ever. It was as if nothing could go wrong. But, he knew what had to be done. He pulled Clay’s hands off of his hips and turned around. “I need to get your son.”

“He’s _our_ son, George.”

George booped Clay’s nose, then began walking towards the stairs. “I never claimed him. He’s yours.”

“Can’t he be your son today?”

“Nope. Deal with it.”

Clay smiled slightly. “Fine. Call down _my_ son for dinner.”

“DYLAN!” George yelled up the stairs to the attic. “DINNER TIME!” He then retreated to the kitchen as he heard the beating of Dylan’s boots against the stairs. George took the ladle and spooned a few scoops of soup into three bowls for him and his little family. Dylan had mentioned that Darryl made a killer bowl of chicken noodle soup, so George got the recipe from him. Tonight was not going to be easy, so he figured warming Dylan up with one of his favorite foods would be a good way to settle him down before the storm. He nervously sat the bowls on the table as Clay set out some cups of water. They exchanged an anxious look, then sat down just in time for Dylan to walk in.

Dylan settled in his usual spot at the table, then examined the bowl of soup in front of him. “Alright. Who died?”

“What?” George asked.

“You made Darryl’s soup.”

“No, I didn’t.”

Dylan spooned up a few chunks of celery. “He’s particular about the way he cuts the veggies and you somehow copied the exact way he does it.”

George sat back in his seat. “How did you know?”

“I helped him make it once. He made sure I knew exactly how to cut the celery and carrots.” Dylan dumped the spoonful back into his porcelain bowl. “Also, you served it in Clay’s fancy bowls.”

Clay rolled his eyes. “They aren’t _that_ fancy.”

“We’ve literally never used these bowls before.”

Clay shrugged. “So? We are using them now and that is all that matters.”

“I’m gonna run by his place later tonight, by the way,” Dylan said as he took a bite. “I left my laptop there when I visited with them a few nights back.”

“Did you guys finish setting up your room?” George asked.

Dylan smirked. “Hell yeah we did! Everything looks so cool. I would’ve never thought they’d make me my own room.”

Clay shrugged. “I mean, they love you and you visit them all of the time. I get it. Are you going to need a ride?”

“No, I’m taking my bike.”

Clay narrowed his eyes. “You sure your leg is okay enough for that?”

Dylan laughed. “Dude, if I can play laser tag for hours at a time, I think I’ll be fine.”

“Just take it easy,” George reminded him. “Just because you are feeling better, doesn’t mean you are fully healed yet.”

Dylan rolled his eyes and took another bite. “So, Darryl talked to me about becoming a future team leader. He said that if I can get my shit together and prove that I’m capable of leading, then I get the job.”

“Dude, that’s great!” Clay responded.

Dylan bit the inside of his lip and looked down at the table, avoiding eye contact with the lovers. “With this being my last mission, I was wondering if you could let me lead a bit? I know I’m asking for much, but this is my last mission before I graduate. I need to show Darryl that I can handle it.”

George slowly looked over at Clay, who was turning red. George reached across the table and grabbed his hand reassuringly. “Actually, Dylan, we wanted to talk to you about this mission,” Clay stated. He glanced over to George for guidance, receiving a confident nod in response. As much as it pained him, it was time for him to break the news to the teen. “We are removing you from the mission.”

Dylan dropped his spoon into his bowl, making a loud clanking sound. “What?”

“This gang is going after young agents, Dylan. We can’t risk losing you.”

Dylan looked up from the table, his jaw hanging slightly open. “If they want young agents, then I can help! I mean, think about it! You can set me out as bait and we can catch them easier!”

“Dylan, please listen to Clay,” George pleaded. “We want what’s best for you.”

“No, you want what’s easiest for _you_. You want me to sit out because you think I’ll get in the way.” Dylan crossed his arms. “This is fucking bullshit and you both know it.”

“Watch your tongue, Dylan,” Clay reprimanded. “We are the adults here. We know what’s best for you.”

Dylan slammed his fists against the table. “Fuck you!”

“DYLAN!” Clay yelled. “You do NOT get to disrespect me in my own household! You obviously can’t handle this mission. Not with the way you’re acting.”

“Get out of your own ass, Clay,” Dylan snarled. “Quit acting like you’re such an amazing person for taking me off of the mission.”

“I’m not acting like an ‘amazing person’, Dylan. I’m trying to act like your caretaker. You’re still seventeen. Until your birthday, your safety is my responsibility.”

“Clay, please let me do this. This is my last chance to show Darryl that I can do more than what I’ve shown!”

“Stepping down from this mission will show him that you are strong.”

Dylan stood up from the table. “BULLSHIT! I’ll look fucking **weak**.”

Clay started to speak up, but George squeezed his hand, signalling for him to stay quiet so George could speak. “Dylan, I know you’re frustrated. Trust us, we are too. We didn’t want to do this, but you are at a high risk of being targeted. We’d never be able to forgive ourselves if something happened to you. I mean, last time you got targeted, you barely escaped with your life.”

“Don’t you **fucking** bring that up, George!” George watched fear flash through Dylan’s eyes as he remembered Illumina’s attack. His eyes darted to the kitchen as his chest began to rise and fall rapidly. He then looked back at George. “Just...don’t.”

George let go of Clay and stood up from his seat. “Dylan, I am so sorry.” He held his arms out towards Dylan. “Come here.”

Dylan shook his head and slammed his chair into the table. “I lost my appetite.”

George watched as Dylan stomped up the stairs, gripping Clay’s arm to keep him from following. “Give him some space. I’ll talk to him tonight. You still need to leave for that meeting?”

Clay checked his watch and sighed. “Yeah. I need to leave soon. Do you mind packing up my dinner to go?”

“Not at all.”

Clay kissed George’s cheek. “Thanks. I need to grab my laptop and I’ll head out.”

George nodded and glanced towards the stairs, worried that Dylan would take it the wrong way.

As soon as he made it to his room, he sat on his bed and dug his hands into his blanket, feeling the fluffy fabric between his fingers. He tried to force himself to breathe, but couldn’t manage to find a steady rhythm. His heartbeat drummed in his ears, mixed with distant sounds of yelling. He could still hear Illumina threatening him. His words pierced through his head. He closed his eyes, but couldn’t shake it. He jumped when he heard his phone ring, but swiftly picked it up when he saw the caller ID. He was thankful for the distraction.

“Hello?”

Dylan was greeted by a low voice he wasn’t too familiar with. He had only ever talked to this person once before.

“This is Dylan.”

What was supposed to be a relaxing phone call quickly twisted into his worst nightmare. Dylan stood up and began pacing around his room as he took in every word that the caller spoke. He could feel himself being overtaken with the same sadness that plagued him when his father died. He then stopped and stared at a spot on his wall as he listened to the man on the other end speak, doing everything he could to keep it together. He wasn’t about to let himself cry. Not again.

“So, what happens now?” Dylan asked, knowing what the answer was about to be. His soul left his body when the man responded. Dylan didn’t stay on the line long enough to listen to what the man’s answer was. He pulled his phone away from his ear and hung up. He tossed his phone onto his bed, then collapsed into the pile of blankets beside it.

He pulled the blanket over his face as he felt his eyes water. He clenched his jaw and held his breath to keep from crying, but it was already too late. Dylan’s shaking grew worse as he begged in a whisper for it all to be over. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get himself to calm down. He suddenly felt like a helpless little kid that just needed to be held by their mother. Dylan wrapped his arms around himself and gripped his arms, feeling his nails dig into his shirt until they reached his skin. While painful, he enjoyed it. It reminded him that he was still alive and that he could feel, even if he wanted nothing more to stop existing in that moment.

Dylan pulled the blanket off of his head and adjusted himself in his bed so that he could just fall asleep. He needed time to process everything. He needed peace.

He just needed sleep.

George settled into bed as time ticked away from him. Clay had left to go to work and Dylan was sulking in his bedroom, so it gave him the alone time he didn’t get very often. Patches jumped onto the bed beside him and curled up on Clay’s pillow. The pampered princess thought she was entitled to Clay’s spot and George never had the heart to tell her, “No”. It’s not like she’d listen to him anyway. Clay was the only one who had authority over her. George put his phone off to the side, turned off his lamp, then began drifting to sleep.

But his peaceful evening was quickly interrupted by a familiar scream that jolted him awake. It took him a moment to process the scream, but as soon as he knew what it was, he got up and grabbed his phone. He shone the light in front of him as he quickly walked to the skinny staircase leading into Dylan’s room. He climbed up the stairs and saw the teen sitting up in his bed, his arms tightly wrapped around him. George turned on the lamp beside his bed and sat beside him, pulling Dylan into a tight embrace.

As scary as these episodes seemed, they were normal. George would hug Dylan while he cried, then they’d talk about what Dylan saw in his nightmare. Though these nights didn’t happen consistently, they happened enough for them to develop a routine. At first, Dylan tried to fight George when he’d hug him, afraid of being touched. But, as time went on, he learned to just accept them. George ran his hand through Dylan’s hair as he cried until he was calm enough to speak. “What happened?”

“My mom died.”

George held him tighter. “It’s okay, Dylan. It was just a nightmare. It wasn’t real.”

“Then why did it feel so real?”

“Nightmares wouldn’t be scary if we knew they were real, would we?”

Dylan shook his head. “You’re right.”

“Do you need me to get you anything? Water? Company? We can play a bit of Minecraft if you’d like!”

“I just want to go to sleep, but thank you.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.”

George released Dylan and turned off his lamp. “Don’t hesitate to text me if you need me, okay? I’m just down stairs.”

Dylan pulled his covers up to his neck. “I know. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” George walked to the stairs leading back out of the attic, but stopped before he began the climb down. “Hey, Dylan? I love you.”

When Dylan didn’t respond, he assumed he had fallen asleep and quietly excused himself. Little did George know, Dylan was frantically texting Toby to wake him up, begging Toby to call him ASAP. After a few minutes, Toby called.

Dylan began speaking before Toby could get a single word out. “Toby, I need help. I need to come over. It won’t be for long, but something happened. Please, let me come over.” Dylan felt relief as Toby groggily agreed to let him come over. He hung up and sprung out of bed, quickly packing a backpack filled with as much as it could carry. Then, before he could even process what he was doing, he was sneaking out of the house and beginning his walk to Toby’s place.

———  
 **Word Count: 2291**

If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider joining my discord! We have a lot of fun there. The link will be posted in the comments attached to the link itself! :D

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_Published:_ _February_ _12th_


	7. Chapter 6

George made his way downstairs, nearly tripping over the cat as he walked. He found Clay on the phone, worriedly pacing the living room. As soon as the two made eye contact, George knew something was wrong.

Clay cleared his throat and continued talking on the phone. "And you're positive he didn't stop by?" He nodded as he got a response. "Okay. I'll let you know if we find anything. Thanks, Zak." Clay then hung up and looked at George. "Dylan is gone." It was only then that he noticed the dark bags hanging under his eyes. His messy hair. His unconfident stance. "I was out all night looking for him. No one has seen him."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"This isn't the first time he's disappeared. I didn't want to wake you up if it wasn't serious." Clay sat on the couch behind him. "He's gone, George."

George sat down beside him and gently placed his hand on Clay's back. "How are you so sure?"

"He left his bike and some of his stuff is missing. His backpack is gone, along with his mom's picture and a teddy bear his dad gave to him before he passed. It's like he took all of his possessions and ran."

"Have you tried calling him?"

"What do you think I did? Just not attempt to contact him?" Clay pressed his face into his hands, muffling his voice. "Of course, I fucking tried to call him. I was sent straight to voicemail."

"And no one else has heard from him?"

"No, George."

"Oh...alright."

Clay grabbed his phone. "Zak will call a company meeting, and Nick and Wilbur are both out trying to figure out where he went already. I wanted to join them, but they told me to stay home in case he came back."

"I'm sure everything will be just fine, Clay," George reassured him. "Dylan may just need a bit of space after last night."

"He's never gone off the grid like this, George. _Never_." George could feel Clay shaking in his grasp. "I'm so scared. What if they took him?"

George didn't have to ask who Clay was referring to because the same thought crossed his mind. The possibility that the gang took him seemed incredibly high, which frightened him. They still had no idea who they were up against, and they just took one of their team's greatest assets. "We'll find him."

"What if we don't?"

"We'll bring him home."

"What if we can't get to him in time?"

"He'll be safe."

" **What if we can't, George?** " Clay exhaled slowly, trying to stay calm. "Realistically speaking, we won't have much time to find him. I give it a few days, tops."

"So, what? You're just going to give up?"

"I'm not giving up, but I'm not going to get my hopes up either. I'm not going to set myself up for failure."

George laid his head on Clay's shoulder, quietly listening as he began to cry. "Failure isn't an option right now. And we don't even know if he was taken. All we can do is wait."

Clay and George's phones both buzzed simultaneously with a message from Zak, demanding every agent to attend a meeting that would be held in an hour. "I can't go to the meeting," Clay whispered. "I'm not leaving, just in case he comes back."

George stood up and stretched, feeling his back pop. "That's okay, I understand. I'll relay any information I get. I promise." George bent down and kissed Clay's forehead. "I'll be back. Text me if anything happens." Clay nodded and watched George go back upstairs to get ready for the meeting.

It wasn't often that Forte used its giant auditorium. It was used once a year during graduation for junior agents, but that was it. When he saw that it was where the company-wide meeting was being held, he panicked a bit. George didn't even know where the damn room was. He awkwardly waited in the lobby to find Wilbur and Nick to follow them in. It took a few minutes and a lot of hunting, but he eventually spotted them in the hoard of people in the lobby. He squeezed past his colleges until he made it to his friends, who looked just as wrecked as Clay.

"Find anything?" George asked. He was only met with silence. George backed away slightly, accepting their answer.

"We should get going," Nick stated dryly as he led the way to the auditorium.

After walking down a hallway that George had not ventured down before, he found himself in a vast auditorium, filled with rows of agents, young and old. He saw a few familiar faces sitting amongst them. Fundy, Philza, and a few bothers were bunched up together, chatting. One of his old foes, Thundah, was sitting with some other young agents he had met before. But he then noticed someone that he had slightly forgotten about. _Anna_.

Anna was sitting alone, looking like a million ideas were running through xyr head. Xe looked sad, angry, confused, and regretful all at once. There was no way xe didn't know what was going on. George then saw Toby approach xem. At first, xe shunned him, not wanting to speak to anyone. But after a little convincing that George couldn't hear over everyone else's voice, xe let him sit beside xem. They were then joined by Tommy, who seemed overwhelmed to be surrounded by so many people.

Nick grabbed George's arm and dragged him to a spot towards the front of the auditorium. The stage was set with a podium in the middle of it, complete with a microphone. George could see Zak talking with a few other agents that George recognized as the other teachers that taught junior agents in the wings. With them was Jude, who waved when he saw George staring. George waved back, then looked away, feeling a new layer of awkwardness surrounding this whole ordeal.

After a few minutes, Zak came out onto the stage, holding small index cards. He tapped on the mic, sending thumping noises through the room's speakers. Everyone quickly quieted down, ready to hear why they were called to such a huge meeting. "Um, good morning everyone. I, uh, I wanted to call this meeting because we have reason to believe that a junior agent was abducted last night. Agent Mega was last seen in his home last night but was found missing this morning along with a few of his belongings. We believe he left home on his own accord but was abducted before he could reach his destination."

The room was silent. Everyone knew Dylan. Whether they shared good or bad memories with him, he was known throughout the entire company as Zak and Darryl's son, despite not being officially adopted by them. To some, he was an asshole kid who had a potent God complex. To others, he was an amazing teammate and friend who'd put his life on the line for the people around him. No matter what people thought of him, his absence was enough to cause concern.

"Due to this event, I'm officially pulling all junior agents off of missions."

This statement caused a roar of outrage from many people sitting amongst the crowd. Both young agents and the people they worked with were pitching fits, stating that Dylan's absence should not affect everyone else. Zak tried to continue to talk, but was unable to get any words out. Every word that was shouted at him dug into his soul. He only wanted what was best for everyone, but no one else seemed to think so. He eventually stopped trying to talk and stared at the index cards in his hands.

Nick leaned in to whisper in George's ear. "He's dying up there."

"Where's Darryl?" George asked. "Shouldn't he be here to help?"

"He's apparently talking with the company we just bought out. The one Niki works for."

"Oh, Osar?" Wilbur asked.

"Yeah, that."

George looked back at Zak, who now had his face covered with his cards. "Someone has to help him."

Nick stood up. "I'm on it." He squeezed past the other agents sitting with him and jumped up onto the stage. He moved the microphone, so it was facing him and yelled, "HEY!" It silenced everyone instantly. "Look, guys, I get it. This sucks for all of us. But how about, instead of being assholes, you respect what your boss says! Either fucking deal with it or leave. I'm not going to sit here and let you bully Zak." As Nick returned to his seat, he and Zak made quick eye contact.

Zak gave a sad smile, and a thankful nod then returned to his index cards. "With that being said, no one's pay will be cut, and deadlines will be extended on current missions. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact myself or Darryl. That is all. Junior agents, you are dismissed from your missions, but you are still welcome to use the building. Also, I need Agents 881 and Hiraeth to meet me onstage with your team. I've got a new mission for you."

George looked up and watched as the group of young adults made their way to the stage, all looking confused. George looked at his phone and saw that he had a missed call from Clay, along with a text begging him to come home. "Hey, guys, I have to go. I'll meet you back here in, what, two hours?"

"Actually, I think we should pay Niki a visit," Nick suggested. "Think about it! Her team worked on this case for a while before it was transferred to us. I say we start our investigation there."

"That's fine, as long as that pretty blond boy isn't there," Wilbur mumbled as he crossed his arms. "Motherfucker is probably named Jared or some shit. I hate Jared. Everyone hates Jared."

George stood up. "That works for me. I'll meet you guys here so we can drive to Osar together."

"I'm going to call ahead and see if I can get her address," Nick replied. "It'd just be a lot easier to talk about a heavy subject away from a work environment, you know?"

"I honestly don't care. I need to go." George squeezed past Nick. "I'll see you guys later."

"CLAY? I'M HOME!" George closed the front door behind him and looked around. "Is everything okay?"

"I'M UPSTAIRS!" Clay shouted. George went up the staircase to see Clay on the floor beside the stairs leading into Dylan's room. Though he was one of the tallest people George knew, he looked so small. So fragile.

George got on his knees and grabbed Clay's hands. "What's wrong?"

"Patches is in Dylan's room."

"And?"

"I can't get her out." Clay began hyperventilating as he spoke. "I can't get h-her out...She...she won't come down...She just-" Clay pulled George against him and cried into his chest. "I can't go in there right now. I just can't."

George rubbed Clay's back and played with his hair, carefully running thin strands of dirty blond hair through his fingers. "Shh. It's okay. I'll go get her. Please take some deep breaths. I'm right here." Clay wiped the snot from his nose as George got up. He climbed the skinny staircase and entered the room, hoping that Dylan would be there, holding the cat.

But the room was dark, empty, and silent. George felt around on the wall to find the lightswitch, eventually flipping it on. Though the room lit up, it felt incredibly stale inside. The room was cold and dead, leaving George feeling unwelcome. As he looked for Patches, he was careful not to touch anything, almost hearing Dylan begging him not to mess with his stuff.

It didn't take long to find the cat. Patches was curled up on Dylan's bed, tucked under the blanket. George pulled the blanket up and grabbed the tabby, then looked at the room. So far, he had been able to live in the shock that overtook him when he heard about Dylan's disappearance. All at once, it hit him. Dylan was gone. The closest thing he ever had to a son had vanished and there was a good chance he'd never see him again. George sat on his bed and held the cat tightly. While she hated feeling restrained, she allowed it just this once, almost like she, too, understood what was going on.

And, for the first time that day, George let himself cry.

At first, he was mad. Mad at himself for not staying with him longer the night before. Mad at the gang for taking him. Mad at the world for letting such an innocent kid get taken away. He began to blame himself for what happened. He should've made sure Dylan was perfectly fine. Even if he had stayed with him for an extra five minutes, it's possible that Dylan would still be there. Every time he blinked, he could see Dylan's crying silhouette in the dark. He could still hear his screams of terror and pain. The more he thought, the tighter he held Patches, scared that if he let go, he'd lose her too.

Once his silent cries began to ease up, he wiped his eyes and decided to head back downstairs. He made sure he had a good grip on the cat, turned off the lights, then climbed back down the stairs. Clay hadn't moved from his spot. He was still on the ground, picking at the skin around his fingernails. George put the cat down, then sat down beside Clay. The two didn't look at each other. All they did was lock hands and sit as the weight of the world sank into their shoulders. They left so many words unsaid. They both knew they'd give anything just to see Dylan smile or hear his laugh. But they couldn't. He was gone.

And there was nothing they could do about it.

———  
 **Word Count: 2340**

If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider joining my discord! We have a lot of fun there. :D

Discord - https://discord.gg/f42e8V9dQD

_Published:_ _February_ _15th_


	8. Chapter 7

"God, it's cold in here." Nick wrapped his arm around himself. "Why is this damn apartment complex so cold?"

Wilbur shrugged beside him. "Beats me. I still can't believe you got Niki's address."

"Darryl called in a favor with Osar's head guy, Agent Awesamdude. He seems pretty cool."

Wilbur looked behind them to see George rapidly typing on his phone. "Is everything okay?"

George looked up. "Oh, uh, yeah. It's just Clay asking if we've gotten any information yet."

Wilbur narrowed his eyes. "Does he realize that we just got here?"

"Yeah, he's just stressed." George tucked his phone into his pocket behind his badge. "I believe her place is up here to the left."

Wilbur turned and faced forward just as the blond who they had seen with Niki before came out of one of the doors. He looked like he was wearing loose workout clothes, and his wavy hair fell perfectly on his forehead. In Wilbur's opinion, he looked too perfect. The guy locked the door behind him and left the complex, saying a quiet, "Excuse me," as he passed by the trio.

Wilbur scoffed. "I fucking hate that guy."

"You don't know him," Nick pointed out.

"I don't need to know him. His name is probably Jared, and he hugged Niki."

George covered his mouth to muffle his laugh. "You know, people hug. I hug Nick, but that doesn't mean we are dating or anything."

Wilbur thought for a second, then said, "But that's different. This looked like a romantic hug. You guys saw it too."

"This is why I'm gay," George joked. "Women are too hard to figure out."

Wilbur groaned. "I hate that my friends are all gay men sometimes. This would be so much easier if I knew someone who had experience with this sort of thing."

Nick stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Excuse me?"

Wilbur turned around. "What?"

"I'm straight, Wilbur."

Wilbur smiled. "Right, okay."

"I'm not gay."

"Guys, can we please not do this today?" George asked. "We're here, anyway." George pulled out his phone and reread Darryl's text, telling him where to go. He reached out and knocked on the door, then stepped back and waited as he heard the clicking of heels approach the other side of the door.

The door clicked open, and Niki stood behind it, a big smile on her face. "Well, if it isn't the gay honeytrap? Sam called me a bit ago to let me know you were joining me this evening." She stepped aside. "Come on in!" George stepped inside first, his senses immediately overtook with a tropical aroma. The living room was grey with pastel yellow accents, giving a pop of color. The white tile amplified every little sound as his friends entered behind him. "Make yourselves at home. And, please, don't mind any messes you see. I share this place with three other guys, so there may be a stray piece of trash or two. Karl helped me clean up earlier." She then turned her head towards a metal staircase that led up to the second story. "KARL! COME SAY, HI!"

"JUST A MINUTE!" A male voice called back.

Niki looked at her phone as it rang. "Oh, shoot, it's Sam. I need to take this. Karl will be down in a second. Let him know if you'd like anything to drink." She then went down a hallway as she answered the phone, which was then followed by the sound of a door closing. Before any of them could say anything, a young man came down the stairs, his hair slightly damp and his skin practically glowing.

"Hey, sorry about the wait, Niki." The man looked around. "Where did she go?"

Wilbur pointed down the hall. "She took a phone call."

He slowly nodded. "Okay, well, I'm Karl, one of Niki's roommates." Karl walked into the kitchen and pulled out a few glass cups. "Anyone want something to drink? We've got water, water, water, and a bit of water."

Beside George, Nick covered his mouth as he coughed out a laugh. "I'll take some water, please." 

Karl returned to the couch and handed Nick the glass of water, their fingers brushing against each other's as the glass was handed off. For a second, George caught a flicker in Nick's eyes; a flicker that he'd never seen before. For the first time in a year, George saw a bit of color return to his face. It was only for a second, but it was magical nonetheless.

"So, you guys work with Nihachu?" Karl asked, still standing in front of the couch.

"Sort of. We work for a similar company," George explained.

"YOU'RE AGENTS TOO?!" Karl jumped onto the couch beside Nick. "What's your agent name?!"

"Uh, well, I'm Sapnap. George is 404, and Wilbur is Soot."

Karl leaned into the couch cushion behind him. " _Sapnap_. I like it! Is there a meaning behind it?"

"Sort of," Nick responded. "I love pandas, but I didn't want to be called a panda on missions, so I spelt it backward. Then, I changed it from 'Sadnap' to 'Sapnap' shortly after, because 'Sadnap' sounded weird."

Karl smirked. "So, you love pandas. I'll keep that in mind."

Nick giggled, then took a sip of water. "So, what about you? What's your code name?"

"Me?" Karl asked with a giggle. "Oh, no, I'm not an agent. I wait tables at the diner down the street."

Nick gasped. "I thought I knew you from somewhere!"

Karl smiled to himself. "Yeah, I've served you a couple of times. How was the coffee this morning? I forgot to ask."

Nick relaxed a little, allowing his shoulders to drop. It was the first time George had ever seen him do that in front of any of his close friends in a long time. "It was great, as always."

"Oh, good. I was worried. You seemed upset when you abruptly left and I was worried it was because of the coffee."

"Oh, no, it was because I got some bad news," Nick explained. "I'm sorry for concerning you."

"Bad news?" Karl sat beside Nick, placing his hand on Nick's thigh. Nick held his breath for a second when he felt the warmth of Karl's hand. "What happened?"

"Uh, w-well," Nick stuttered.

"We're agents," George interrupted in an attempt to save his friend. "One of our teammates has been kidnapped."

Karl's cheery smile fell. "Oh, wow. I'm sorry to hear that."

George nodded as he grabbed his phone, checking to see if he had any texts from Clay. "He was seventeen."

"What the honk?" Karl asked. "You guys work with teenagers?!"

Nick giggled. "'Honk'?"

Karl rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just a thing I say."

Nick smiled. "I like it. It's cu-" Nick cleared his throat. "Different. It's different."

George and Wilbur exchanged a glance, both noticing the same thing. Nick was not a friendly person. Well, not anymore, anyway. He no longer tried to hold normal friendships, relying on those around him to keep his friendships alive. Nick also wasn't really the type to apologize either. Yet, here he was, holding a conversation with Karl just fine.

Niki stuck her head out of the room in the hall, holding her phone against her chest. "Hey, Karl? Can you call Ponk please and get in here? Sam wants us both on call."

Karl put his own cup on the coffee table, stood up, and began heading down the hall, turning back to wave at Nick before disappearing into the room with Niki.

George elbowed Nick. "He's nice."

"Yeah," Nick agreed.

"And he's sweet," Wilbur added, seeing what George was doing.

"For sure," Nick responded.

George smiled. "Not to mention how cute he is."

"I- what?" Nick asked.

"He's cute!" Wilbur agreed. "You seemed like you hit it off quite fast."

"I'm not into guys," Nick mumbled. "How many times do we need to have this talk."

"And how many times do we have to catch you being flirty with guys before you just admit it?" George grabbed Nick's cup and placed it on the coffee table, then grabbed his hands. "You know it's okay to not be straight, right?"

Nick ripped his hands away from George. "I'm not into guys."

George rolled his eyes. "Well, if you change your mind, I think he's into you. I'd give it a shot with him if I were you."

"Well, you're not me," Nick retorted. "So, back the fuck off."

Seeing that he had crossed the line, George fell silent. He didn't want to piss his best friend off any more than he already had.

Before the silence grew too awkward, Karl and Niki came back down the hallway, both typing on their phones. When Niki saw the three looking at her, she smiled. "Sorry, Sam wanted an update on something our partners are doing. They've been undercover for a while, so he was seeing if they've made any movement. So, what brings you three here?"

Wilbur took a step closer to Niki as he cleared his throat. "We're wondering if you have any more information on the gang case you handed off to us?"

Niki crossed her arms, her eyes locked on Wilbur's. "That depends. What is the information needed for?"

"One of the people in our team was a seventeen-year-old boy who's been kidnapped by this gang," Wilbur answered. "His name was-"

"Agent Mega," Niki whispered, just loud enough to interrupt Wilbur. "So, he's the kid we were told to keep an eye out for during missions."

"Yeah! So, we need as much information on this gang that you can give us."

Niki bit her lip in thought. "I can only give you a little bit of information as of right now." She motioned for Wilbur and Karl to sit beside George and Nick. Once they were comfortably seated, Niki began speaking again. "The gang is run by a man that goes by Jschlatt. He's not a very good person and his right-hand-man, Alexis, isn't any better. They're both ruthless leaders that want nothing more than to take over the city to continue an underground crime syndicate they have going on. If your friend was kidnapped by them, chances are, he won't make it unless we find him fast."

"Do you know where we can find this 'Jschlatt' guy?" Nick asked. "We've got some killer interrogation methods. I have no doubt that we can get information out of him."

"Even if you were to track him down, it'd probably be too late. Mega has three days at most before he's getting sent to his death." Niki held herself in her arms as if she were giving herself a hug. "The only thing I know is where their initiations take place."

George stood up. "Let's storm one of them, then! If we brought enough people, we'd be able to at least find Schlatt and, possibly, this Alexis guy!"

Karl pulled George down by his shoulder. "It's not that easy, George. The initiation takes place in five days. Besides, this isn't the sort of thing the entire gang would show up to. If you guys did go and attack, you'd only be getting rid of the members present there. The rest of the gang would still be left to rebuild and continue doing whatever it is that they do."

"How would you know that?" George questioned.

"Just because I'm not an agent, doesn't mean I don't pay attention. I literally live with three other agents. There used to be six of us living here, but as Niki said, two of them have been away for a while."

"I find it odd that you allow a civilian to hear about missions," Nick pointed out.

Niki waved her hand. "Oh, Karl's fine. Back when we first met, my team and I were all followed back here, so we had to defend the place. Karl has known about us for a while. I trust him."

"Well, if we aren't going to do anything during the initiation, then what's the plan?" George asked. "I can always message Clay to see what he thinks."

"For now, let's just keep trying to locate the gang's hideout," Nick suggested. "If we can find their operation spot, it won't be hard to find Dylan. And Niki? Would you be interested in joining my team for this mission? If you did, I could put in a good word for you with my boss and possibly get you transferred to Forte, if you'd like."

"That'd be lovely, but if I'm joining, the rest of my team has to join as well."

"Deal!" Wilbur shouted. "Now, we have to go. I have a gig at the coffee shop, and George is my ride."

After exchanging a few goodbyes, Karl walked George, Wilbur, and Nick to the door. Before he left, Karl grabbed Nick's hand to pull him back. "Come back to visit, okay? I'd love to get to know you better."

Nick began blushing. "Copy that." He then stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him. As he walked down the hall, he kept looking at the hand that Karl had touched.

Wilbur leaned down to whisper into George's ear. "Yep. Not gay at all."

———  
 **Word Count: 2211**

If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider joining my discord! We have a lot of fun there. :D

Discord - https://discord.gg/f42e8V9dQD

_Published:_ _February_ _15th_


	9. Chapter 8

Zak sat at his desk, staring out the window. The setting sun gave the city a colorful, golden glow, but it seemed duller. Everything seemed duller. He glanced at the paperwork sitting in front of him and sighed, his head already beginning to ache just thinking about filling out the countless pages. The stacks of papers placed at his desk never ended. When he agreed to run Forte with Darryl, he never thought that this would be the lifestyle he’d have to adapt to. His friends were all out, searching for Dylan, but he couldn’t join them. It was days like this that he wished he was still just another tech guy who could be out with a team. But no. Instead, he was stuck here.

Doing paperwork.

Darryl knocked on the door, then let himself in. He stopped when he saw Zak staring out of the window. “You thinking again?”

“Yep.” 

Darryl sat on Zak’s desk, making sure not to abstract his view of the city. “What are you thinking about this time?”

“Same as last time,” Zak replied. “Dylan. The baby. Everything.”

Darryl reached behind him and grabbed Zak’s hand. “Dylan is going to be okay, Zak. He’s tough. He’s smart. He knows how to get out of bad situations.”

“What if he’s dead, Darryl?”

Zak’s words hit Darryl hard. He’d been doing everything he could to stay optimistic, but part of him wondered the same thing. What if Dylan died? What if his body was found in a ditch somewhere? So many thoughts swirled around in his head while he did everything he could to ignore them. “Well, instead of dwelling on that, would you like to hear the latest update with Avielle?”

“Sure,” Zak groaned. Avielle was a lovely young woman, there was no doubt about that, but the last thing Zak needed was to hear about the woman the two were adopting a baby from. She was nineteen and terrified of becoming a mother. While Zak didn’t have all of the details, he could tell that the pregnancy was the result of something traumatic that Zak had no desire to ask about. Darryl had signed Zak and himself up for this adoption website where people could find children to adopt. Not a week later, they were contacted by Avi, who was pregnant and wanted to find her child a good home. Everything happened so fast. One second, Zak was filling out his damn paperwork. The next, Darryl was on the phone with him, crying tears of joy because they were going to become fathers. Zak didn’t have it in him to tell him he didn’t want to be a father and he’s in too deep to bring it up now. 

“She heard the baby’s heartbeat today!” Darryl pulled out his phone to play Zak a video. While there was nothing to see, he could hear the steady thumping of its heartbeat. “Isn’t that amazing?!”

Zak faked a smile and nodded. “It’s just a heartbeat, Darryl.”

Darryl laid down on the desk, holding his phone to his chest. “We’re going to be parents, Zak. This is what I’ve always dreamed of doing. We are having a baby!” Zak clenched his jaw as he continued staring outside the window. Thankfully, Darryl was too happy to notice his lack of excitement. “We should go out tonight. We need to celebrate!”

“That’s not necessary, Darryl.”

“Well,  _ I _ think it is, and my opinion is the only one that matters.” Darryl slid off of the desk and scooted the papers off to the side. “Come on, Zak! We haven’t gone out since Avielle picked us!”

Zak shuffled the papers back to the middle of the desk. “I have paperwork to do.”

Darryl put his hands on top of the papers, keeping Zak from filling them out. “I’ll let you pick the place this time! We can go to that one Brazillian grill you’ve always wanted to try.”

Zak stared at the floor. “I don’t want to go out. I’m not feeling it.”

Darryl placed his hand under Zak’s chin and moved his head so they were facing each other. “What’s wrong?”

“Dylan.”

Darryl frowned. “I know you well enough to know that there is something else going on.”

“Everything is fine.”

“Please, love. What’s going on.”

“I’m fine, Darryl.”

“Let me help you.”

Zak grabbed Darryl’s hand and removed it from his chin. “ **I said I’m fine, alright?** ”

He started to go back to his paperwork, but Darryl took the papers off of his desk and placed them on a table tucked against the wall of the room. “What is going on with you?!”

“Did you ever stop to consider how I felt about becoming a dad?” Zak asked. 

“Well, yeah. I figured you’d be excited too. We’ve already talked about adoption before, so I thought you’d be happy.”

“I’m not sure I want to be a father anymore.”

Darryl studied Zak’s face for any indication of this being a joke or one of his many “trolls”, but nothing ever came. “You’re being serious.”Darryl looked at his phone. “So, this whole time, you didn’t even want to adopt Avielle’s baby in the first place?”

“Not really.”

Darryl pulled up a picture on his phone and placed it on the desk in front of Zak. It was the picture of the sonogram from before. “So, this whole time, you didn’t want a child.”

Zak refused to look at the phone and pushed it away from him. “No, Darryl, I didn’t.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me this sooner?!”

“You didn’t ask!” Zak stood up. “You signed us up for that website without my knowledge!”

Darryl crossed his arms and held himself tightly. “I didn’t think we’d be picked so fast. Some people spend ages in those programs before they get picked. I wanted to sign us up so that we could get ready for parenthood while we waited.”

“Well, look where that got us!”

Darryl reached out and rubbed Zak’s arm. “Honey, what happened to all of those talks we had before? Remember how we’d stay up late just imagining what it’d be like to be parents? This is our chance! There is an unborn baby out there who will be without a home if we can’t step up and be there for them.”

“Someone else will step up. The kid will be fine.”

Darryl let go of Zak and grabbed his phone from the desk. He gazed at the sonogram, his nose twitching as he held back his sorrow. “So, that’s it? We just aren’t going to do this?”

“I can’t be a dad, Darryl.”

Darryl swallowed hard. “What should I tell Avi?”

“Tell her we changed our minds.”

“ _ We _ ?” Darryl questioned. “This was a  _ you _ thing.”

“We are married. We make decisions together, but that seems to be something you know nothing about.”

Darryl frowned. “Excuse me?”

Zak sat back in his seat. “I’m just saying, if you had any sort of respect for our ‘team’, you would’ve talked to me first.”

“I thought our talks before counted as confirmation that this is what you wanted!”

“My GOD Darryl! Why can’t you get it through that thick head of yours that I don’t want this?!” Zak began raising his voice. “I don’t want kids! I don’t want a family!  **And I certainly don’t want to be in a relationship where I feel fucking forced to agree with everything my partner wants!** ”

Darryl’s jaw hung slightly as he processed Zak’s words. “Okay, yeah. I get it. I’ll let her know you changed her mind.”

“Didn’t I just say that we are a team?”

Darryl opened the door to Zak’s office. “Yeah, but you also said you didn’t want a relationship where you feel forced to agree with me. I completely understand.” Darryl looked back at Zak one last time, tears beginning to stream down his face. “I’ll see you later, Skeppy.”

As the door shut, the air escaped Zak’s lungs. He lowered his head into his hands, regretful of his words. He wanted nothing more than to go back and try again. He wanted to explain to Darryl that he didn’t mean to hurt him. Every time Zak closed his eyes, he could see the pained expression on Darryl’s face. He was hurting and it was Zak’s fault. Zak stood up and rushed to the door, but stopped before he grabbed the doorknob. On the other side, he could hear Darryl crying. 

“H-hey. How fast can you get here?” His words were followed by silence. “Okay, just please get here as soon as you can. I need help.” Darryl sniffled. “Thank you, Clay.”

Zak pressed his back against the door, then slid onto the floor, bringing his legs up against his chest. His whole body was shaking. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and opened up his texts from Darryl, one of which is the sonogram picture. He sat there and studied the ball of fuzz that almost looked human. “First, I failed Purpled. Then Ambxon. Then Dylan.” He tapped away from the picture“And now, you.”

Zak then scrolled to his messages to Dylan, where a string of paragraphs resided. Each one contained Zak’s thoughts as he attempted to navigate his emotions, the latest one being about Zak’s fear of becoming a parent. He tapped the bar at the bottom of the screen and began composing a new message. 

**Zak** (6:17 pm)

_ I’m sorry. I failed. I wanted to tell Darryl, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was just too scared. What would he think of me if he knew? I wish you were here. You always knew how to talk sense into me. Please respond. _

Zak waited on the screen, hoping that he’d get any sort of sign from Dylan. Nothing. Zak sat his phone down beside him, glancing over at it every few minutes as he had been doing since Dylan went missing. But his heart stopped when something new popped up under his message.

**Zak** (6:17 pm)

_ I’m sorry. I failed. I wanted to tell Darryl, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was just too scared. What would he think of me if he knew? I wish you were here. You always knew how to talk sense into me. Please respond. _

_ Seen at 6:19 pm _

Zak picked his phone up, not believing his eyes. Dylan was alive. He stood up and opened the door. “DARRYL! HE’S ALIVE!” Darryl, who was already halfway down the hallway, turned around. Zak sprinted to him, nearly knocking Darryl over. Darryl caught him in his arms and Zak showed him his phone. “Darryl! Look! Dylan read my message!” He started shaking uncontrollably. “He’s  _ alive _ , Darryl!” Zak threw his arms around Darryl. “He’s alive.” As Zak cried into his shoulder, Darryl processed what he saw when Zak showed him the screen. He wasn’t fixated on the “seen” message but was instead focused on the message that Zak had sent to him. Darryl didn’t need Zak to explicitly say anything. He knew what the message meant. 

Zak was scared. 

Zak had treated Dylan like his own son ever since Dylan was admitted into the hospital. The two became extremely close. So, when Dylan went missing, Zak thought he died, causing him to fear parenting any other kids. It all clicked for him in an instant. 

“Hey, Zak?” Darryl whispered. “You know I love you, right?”

Zak nodded. “I love you too.”

“You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Of course.”

“So why didn’t you tell me how you really felt?”

Darryl felt Zak become heavy in his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m just scared.”

Darryl pulled him into the hug tighter. “I know. But, as long as you have me, you never have to worry about a thing, okay?”

“Got it.”

Darryl pulled away and kissed Zak’s forehead. “From now on, we will do things together. I promise. But, we need to have a talk about Avielle and her baby.”

Zak nodded. “Of course. When Clay gets here, we can talk about it.”

Darryl let go of Zak and grabbed his hands. “Sounds like a plan.”

———  
 **Word Count: 2034**

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	10. Chapter 9

“Alright, Roo,” Elliot started. “Run through everything we have so far.”

On the other side of the conference table, Roo sat up straight and began reading off of the clipboard in his hands. “Dylan was last seen by George late at night, September 18th, presumably around 11:00 pm. Between the hours of 11:00 pm and 3:00 am the following morning, Dylan left his home. While we believe it was on his own accord, we can’t be sure until we receive phone records. Between these hours, he contacted Agent Tubbo, who then contacted Elliot, stating that something was going on. Elliot then messaged Dylan, learning that he was on his way to get somewhere but was being followed. As far as we know, he never made it to his destination.” He looked up at the other agents around the table. “Did I get it all?”

Maddie leaned on her hand in thought beside Sylvester, who was doodling on the corner of their notes page. “Without phone records or a definitive way to track his movements that night, it will be near impossible to figure out where he went,” Maddie stated.

“Doesn’t Clay have security cameras around the house?” Ciara asked. “Because of, you know, _that night_?” She watched Sylvester tense up from across the table. “Sorry.”

Sylvester returned to doodling. “It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me. Just be careful what you say around Ace. They’re still not exactly over it. In fact, I don’t think anyone from their team is over it. The only reason Cat and Feni decided to come back is because Forte needed to fill out a few teams. Ace hasn’t even gone on missions since then. He’s just been helping Fundy in the tech class.” Sylv looked up from their doodle. “Sorry, please continue.”

Maddie nodded. “Right. Well, Dylan isn’t stupid. He knows how to hide. I mean, we didn’t know he was an agent for a while, yet he was working at this building under our noses. He disabled the cameras before he left.”

“Do any of their neighbors have security cameras?” Elliot asked.

“We’ve been in contact with a few people on their block, but we’ve yet to receive anything,” Maddie responded. “I’ll get back to you once I hear back from any of them.”

The office’s door opened slowly as Ace stepped inside, doing their best not to interrupt anything inside. But, due to the beat of silence in the conversation, everyone heard the loud creaking of the door. They cringed as they continued inside, sliding into the empty seat beside Sylvester. Ace grabbed Sylv’s hand and gave it a loving, comforting squeeze, which Sylv greatly appreciated.

Ace cleared their throat. “Sorry, I’m late. I ran into Feni on the way in and she was filling me in on how things are going.”

“Anything new with her?” Sylvester asked.

“Well, she’s officially adopted Avery, and they’re no longer working at Forte. Feni is still kicking ass with her new team, though.” Ace looked up and noticed a few confused looks from around the room. “Avery was Avocado kid,” Ace stated, clearing up the confusion. “She also asked about how my transition is going, so that was cool, I guess.” Ace’s smile dropped slightly. “She called me ‘Thundah’. It was weird hearing it again. I had to remind her that I go by ‘Agent Shroom’ now.” Feeling that they were losing themself again in their thoughts, Ace shook their head and looked at Maddie. “Did I miss anything?”

Roo placed the clipboard on the table and pushed it across until Ace could reach it. “Here you go. You’d be able to read faster than I can speak.” Ace gave him a thankful nod, then began reading.

“So, Elliot, what exactly did Dylan say to you before he disappeared?” Ciara asked.

Elliot pulled out his phone and scrolled through a few text messages before reaching his conversation with Dylan. “Well, Toby told me that someone was after Dylan. I tried calling him a few times, but he refused to pick up. He said he was trying to get to Toby’s house, but I think that was because someone was hot on his tail. He had no idea who was after him.”

Maddie took note of what Elliot said, then asked, “Why would he be going to Toby’s house? I mean, they’re friends, but Toby lives across town from him. They aren’t exactly close either. Dylan isn’t the most open person in the world.”

“Has anyone tried asking Toby anything?” Roo asked.

Maddie shook her head. “Not much. He’s been denying us any information.”

Elliot slumped back in his seat. “He’s got to know something. There’s no way Dylan would try to go over to his house without saying a word to him about why.”

“Well, until we can get him to open up, we have to continue looking for information elsewhere,” Maddie responded.

Ciara popped her knuckles as a smirk began to grow across her face. “Why don’t we interrogate him? We can make him talk.”

Roo perked up, his brown eyes wide with curiosity. “Is that something we’re allowed to do?”

“Hell yeah, it is!” Ciara looked at Elliot. “Can we _please_ interrogate him?”

Elliot looked her up and down. “Why do I feel like you’re going to do something illegal?”

“Oh, it’s just a simple interrogation!” Ciara shrugged. “How bad could it be?”

“Ciara?” Maddie asked. Ciara looked at her, excited to receive the permission she needed, only to be shut down when Maddie strictly stated, “No.”

Ciara began twirling a pencil between her fingers. “You guys are no fun.”

“Elliot, maybe we should give Toby a call,” Maddie suggested. “He’s the best lead we have right now.”

“He’s not even allowed in the building, Maddie.” Elliot looked at his phone. “I may be able to call him up, but I can’t officially bring him in for questioning.”

Everyone’s heads perked up when they suddenly heard voices coming from outside the room.

“Move, Toby!” They heard Tommy yell.

“I’m going, I’m going!” Toby responded. “Which room was it again.”

“THIS ONE!” Anna yelled.

The door then burst open as the three teens rushed inside, slamming the door closed behind them. The three were out of breath. Anna’s face was red and wet with sweat, and Tommy was sporting a sunburn on the back of his neck that crept over his shoulders ever so slightly. But no one cared about the state they were in when they saw Toby holding a black thing in his hand, badly smashed.

“What are you guys doing here?!” Maddie scolded. “You could be fired if Bad or Skeppy sees you!” The three began shouting over each other, each one having their own story to tell. Maddie held her hand up, silencing all of them at once. “You need to leave.” Maddie opened the door. “Now.”

Toby looked at Elliot and waved the black thing in the air, shaking a few pieces of black glass onto the floor. “It’s Dylan’s phone!” Elliot stood up from the table upon hearing this, but Roo grabbed his wrist, silently warning him not to engage.

Instead, Ciara got up and grabbed the phone from Toby. “How are you sure that this is his phone?”

“I just know, alright!” Toby yelled as Maddie continued to try and force him out of the room.

Ciara inspected the phone. It was completely shattered, the glass screen nothing more than sharp shards of glass that threatened to slice the hand of anyone brave enough to touch it. The phone was also bent slightly. As far as Ciara could tell, it had been hit with something pretty hard, causing it to start folding on itself. She held down the power button on the side of the phone, but nothing happened.

Ciara placed it on the table, then turned to face the younger teens. “This thing is busted. There’s no way for us to tell if it’s his or not and opening it up would be a breach of privacy.”

“Hypothetically speaking,” Tommy began. “If it is Dylan’s, we have the right to try to retrieve the data hidden inside of it.”

Ciara nodded before retorting back, “Okay, but hypothetically speaking, if this isn’t his, we could get in trouble for snooping through a stranger’s phone.”

Tommy stood up a bit straighter, preparing to continue arguing. “Hypothetically speaking, we can search the phone on the grounds of abandonment. We found it in an area we were legally allowed to be in and it was unclaimed. We are allowed to take it in as evidence.”

Maddie began pushing Tommy out of the room. “Hypothetically speaking, I could call Skeppy right now and have you all fired for being here. Get out before you get caught.”

Anna then slipped away from Maddie and dialed a number on xyr phone. Within seconds, the broken phone began to ring. The ringtone was distorted and sounded like something straight out of a horror movie, but it was ringing nonetheless. Anna showed xyr phone screen to Elliot. She had dialed Dylan’s number.

“Maddie, let them stay,” Elliot commanded.

Maddie gave him a dirty look. “And risk getting in trouble for letting them help? Hell no!”

“This is the best lead we’ve got, Maddie!” Elliot met Maddie’s eyes. “This is our best chance of finding him. Besides, his three best friends know him better than anyone else. They can help us a lot if we listen.”

Maddie loosened her grip on the door, allowing the teenagers to step inside. Maddie quietly closed the door, then made her way back to her seat. “I swear to god, Elliot, if we get fired for this, I will hunt you down.”

Elliot rolled his eyes, knowing that this was just an empty threat made in the heat of the moment. “Okay. Anyway, where did you guys find the phone? Toby first.”

Toby nervously glanced at Tommy, then back to Elliot. “Well, we went out to see if we could find anything that could be a clue. We were walking around in this field near Dylan’s place, hoping to find something. After a few hours of looking, we sat down and decided to call him and leave one last voicemail before giving up. When we called it, the phone rang.”

“Who found it?” Elliot asked. Tommy raised his hand. “Tell me about it.”

“When we heard the phone ring, we spread out to look for it. While I was walking, I felt something weird under my boot. I picked up my foot and it was just _there_.” Tommy explained.

As Roo took down notes on his clipboard, he asked, “Was there anything else with the phone? Something that could’ve caused all of that damage?”

Tommy closed his eyes as he tried to remember. “I mean, there were a few big rocks, but there weren’t tools or anything. Whoever did this was trying to destroy the phone and didn’t have access to anything that’d help them.”

“Also, the phone still has a charge,” Anna pointed out. “That means that it was ditched recently. Dylan has been complaining that his phone only lasts eight hours before he needs to charge it again.”

Elliot nodded as he took everything in. “Well, I have a feeling that this was done by the same person that took him.”

“No, Elliot,” Toby disagreed. “He wasn’t taken.”

Elliot crossed his arms. “What makes you so sure?”

Toby opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. “I just know. Besides, if he was taken, he’d have annoyed his captors so much by now that they’d let him go.”

While Elliot didn’t press him further, he knew that Toby had more information than he offered up. Toby avoided eye contact with him at all costs, fidgeting with his fingers as he sat awkwardly in his seat. It was becoming harder to tell if Toby’s red face was from being outside or from being nervous. Elliot couldn’t tell what he was hiding, but if they were going to find Dylan before it was too late, Toby was their best chance.

And Elliot was ready to do whatever it took to get information out of him. 

———  
 **Word Count: 2037**

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_Published:_ _February_ _26th_


	11. Chapter 10

Initiation nights were always huge. It was the one night that everyone could watch a collection of roughed up teens compete for a spot in the gang. While Saturn craved the chaos that the event provided, they could do without the torture the teenagers had to go through. While proving that they had the necessary skills, they would also be put through rigorous testing that put their minds and bodies to the test. This month's initiation included a new torture device made by Schlatt's second-in-command, Alexis. As kind as he seemed, he always came up with some of the most challenging things for the newbies to do.

In the middle of the makeshift arena was a plastic box connected to a hose of some sort. Everyone eagerly waited to see what the box did, ready to see some suffering. All Saturn could do was cringe. They usually didn't come to these sorts of things, but when their good friend, Indigo, was asked to assist Alexis, Saturn had to be there to watch.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Alexis entered the arena, followed by Indigo and his other helpers. It wasn't hard for Saturn to find Indigo among the people coming in, their blue-tinted hair and lean build sticking out from the others around them. When Indigo's eyes locked with Saturn's, they exchanged a friendly yet nervous smile. Indigo didn't particularly enjoy these initiations either, but getting recognized by Alexis was a huge deal. Indigo couldn't say no.

The crowd's cheering began hurting Saturn's ears as another man walked into the arena, dawning a suit. The edges of his mouth were curled into a permanent smile, making him even scarier than anyone Saturn had seen before. Saturn couldn't imagine what it must be like for the people who die at his hands. The last thing they see is his smile. Schlatt carried himself in a particular, manipulative way. He was dangerous, but his charismatic nature drew people in.

"WELCOME, EVERYONE!" Schlatt yelled out, his voice amplified by a microphone attached to his suit jacket somewhere. He held his arms open wide as the cheering continued. He then motioned for an opening under the stands that he entered from. "Let's give a warm welcome to this month's initiates!"

Saturn lifted their hands to clap, but couldn't bring themselves to do so. Schlatt prided himself on pushing initiates past their limits, often resulting in their deaths. A group of teenagers came in, each one looking more torn up than the last.

Beside them, Alexis's good friend, Alastair, elbowed Saturn in the side. "Who do you think is dropping first?" His deep, British accent caught Saturn off guard every time he spoke, despite knowing him for a few years.

Saturn looked out on the teens. "Um...you see that small blond one?" Saturn pointed at a kid in a black hoodie that looked two sizes too big. "Him."

Alastair nodded. "I'm putting my money on the tall, lanky ginger at the end of the line." He offered his hand out to Saturn. "Wanna shake on it?"

Saturn smirked and shook his hand. "You're on."

"Alright, as always, Alexis is going to introduce this month's challenge!" Schlatt announced. He turned his head to look at Alexis. "This one is going to be _devious_."

Alexis stepped forward, quietly instructed his helpers to prepare the box, then began explaining it to everyone. "This, here, is a water coffin. Initiates will have their hands bound together and will have to unlock multiple locks on the inside of the box as it gets pumped with gallons of water. You either get yourself out or drown trying." As soon as he finished, water began filling the box. Alexis pointed at the tall ginger, then instructed him to get into the box.

The ginger rolled up his grey shirt sleeves and jumped into the box, excited to get this started. Alexis placed a clear lid on the box that had six keys and locks attached to it. In order for the teenager to get out, he'd have to match the keys to their locks, then push it out to get out. Alexis signaled for Indigo to turn on the water, then stood back and yelled for the boy to begin.

The water rose quicker than anyone had anticipated, making the boy hesitate for a second before beginning. By the time he got his hand around the first key, the box was already a fourth of the way filled. He tried fitting it into all of the locks, eventually finding the one that the key went to. He yanked the lock off, then grabbed a second key. By the time the second lock was off, the water was to his neck. With a deep breath, he grabbed the third lock, then began trying to find it's match. The water reached the top of the box and began seeping through its cracks and onto the ground around it.

By the time the ginger grabbed the fourth key, he was beginning to panic. His face was red and his cheeks were wide as he desperately tried to hold his breath. He felt around for the locks and managed to get the fourth lock open. But, by the time he grabbed the fifth key, he began choking as water filled his nose and mouth.

Alexis began trying to unlock the box, but Schlatt grabbed his arm and pulled him away. "Let him struggle. They need to learn how to struggle." Alexis stepped back and looked away as the boy began beating the walls of the box, desperate to get out. He would've been screaming if he had the breath for it.

When Alexis had the bravery to look back at him, he had stopped thrashing. He wasn't moving at all and his eyes were wide open. Alexis pulled his arm away from Schlatt and popped open the lid. He grabbed the kid and dragged his body out of the water.

Indigo took a knee beside the kid and checked his pulse, looking back at Alexis with saddened eyes. "We have our first death of the evening."

Alexis nodded. "Empty the box and prepare it for the next person.

Teen after teen attempted the water coffin, none of them managing to make it through. Two more people died, but three of them managed to be let out just before they drowned. By the time they got to the last person, the small blond teenager that Saturn had noticed at the start, everyone felt confident that he wasn't going to make it either.

Saturn turned to Alastair. "This is ridiculous. We seriously aren't getting any new members this month because this trial is impossible."

Alastair shrugged. "Maybe this kid will get through it... you never know."

"You know Alexis better than any of us. Would he really make something escapable?"

"Yes, actually," Alastair responded. "He doesn't enjoy killing people, especially teenagers who aren't even with us yet. He showed you mercy during your trial, remember?"

"Right." Saturn looked back towards Alexis and the blond kid. The blond unzipped his hoodie and tossed it off to the side, leaving him in a white tank top. He got into the box and took some long, deep breaths as he prepared to start his trial. Alexis gave the command and the box began filling with water.

Unlike everyone before him, the blond was incredibly calm, conserving his breath as he carefully reached for every key. He had two locks before the water reached his chest. As he began working on the third lock, he noticed something in the corner of the box: A sixth key. He took mental note of it and continued getting the locks off. When he grabbed the fifth key, the water had reached his chin. He took one last breath and sank into the water. He gave himself a second to figure out how much air to let out at a time, then continued working. He shoved the fifth key into the final lock, but it wouldn't turn. The kid yanks the key out then felt around below him to find the other key he had seen before. He pulled it up, but it was attached to something, holding it in place. He placed his feet on either side of the key and pulled as hard as he could. It popped off of the rope it was attached to, allowing him to turn around and unlock the last lock. With all of the locks done, he pushed up on the lid where it was supposed to open, but nothing happened.

Alexis had designed this box to cause panic, but he watched in awe as the kid stayed calm and figured out what to do next. He tried to punch his way through, but when that didn't work, he put his hands on the bottom of the box and began kicking it open. After a few strong kicks, he managed to get the box open. He surfaced and took a deep breath as the stands erupted with cheers. Saturn stood up, probably cheering the loudest. They couldn't believe that the kid they thought would get out early was the only one to manage to escape. Alastair wasn't cheering, though. He was staring at Alexis, who was staring back. Saturn knew that stare. It was the look they'd give each other when they both were sharing the same thought. It was never a good sign. Saturn wanted to question him on it, but Indigo excitedly motioned for Saturn to join him next to the blond who made it through.

Saturn made their way down to the middle of the arena, where Schlatt was officially welcoming the kid into the family. "You've completed step one of your initiation and we are _so_ excited to have you! There are two other steps to the initiation, both of which will be explained to you when it is time for you to complete them."

"When will they have to be done?" The kid asked.

"You'll see when it's time. Where's the fun in telling you now?" As Schlatt walked away, the kid watched him, his brown eyes locked on the gun in Schlatt's waistband.

Indigo slapped his back. "Welcome to the gang, brother!"

The kid didn't look away from Schlatt. "Yeah, hey."

Saturn offered out their hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Saturn."

The kid finally looked away from Schlatt, his eyes darting around for a second as if he was just noticing his surroundings. "Nice to meet you."

"You should come have dinner with us!" Indigo said excitedly. "Alexis is making pizza and the three of us are going to hang out. You should come!"

The kid shrugged. "I'm not exactly hungry, but thanks."

"Oh, come on, dude! This is your chance to get in good with Alexis, which is important if you want to move up in the gang!"

The kid glanced up at Indigo from the corner of his eye. "What makes you think I want to move up in the ranks? Am I not allowed to just exist for a bit?"

Indigo raised his arms defensively. "Woah, okay. My bad. Someone's grumpy."

"Tired," the kid corrected. "When you push yourself to your limits physically, you get tired. And irritable. Very irritable. If I were you, I'd keep my distance."

"I'm not scared of you," Indigo laughed. "What are you...six inches shorter than me or something?"

Indigo lifted his hands to touch the kid's hair, but the teen caught his hand and squeezed his wrist. "You should be scared. You don't know a thing about me." He let go of Indigo's wrist, leaving red marks where his fingers were.

Indigo looked at his wrist, not mad, but impressed. "You'll fit in just fine here."

The teenager crossed his arms. "I know."

"You know what?" Saturn thought out loud. "We have two extra bunks in our room. You should room with us!"

The teenager shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE!" Alexis yelled out. "LET'S GO HOME!"

The kid shrugged and began walking towards the exit. Indigo and Saturn jogged to catch up to him.

"So, what's your name?" Saturn asked. "I don't think you've told us yet."

The kid smirked. "Dylan. My name's Dylan."

———  
 **Word Count: 2047**

If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider joining my discord! We have a lot of fun there. The link will be posted in the comments attached to the link itself! :D

Discord - https://discord.gg/f42e8V9dQD

_Published: March 1st_


	12. Chapter 11

"This is my bunk. And that, up there, is your bunk." Indigo tossed Dylan's backpack onto the top bunk as Saturn showed him around the room. "We also share the minifridge in the corner, so you can go out and buy drinks and snacks and shit. But be careful; Indigo eats _everything_ he finds."

Dylan wasn't bothered by anything Saturn was saying. Instead, he was fixated on the top bunk. "Can I sleep on the bottom?"

Indigo grabbed Dylan's bag, terribly confused. "Who wouldn't want the top bunk?"

Dylan pulled his bag from Indigo's hands. "Me." He then shoved the bag onto the bottom bunk and sat beside it. "I like this spot better."

Indigo shrugged. "You're lucky I don't mind sleeping on the top bunk. Let me grab my stuff real quick." He reached behind Dylan and began grabbing pictures off of the wall that he hadn't noticed before. They looked like the kind of images a teenager would take: a sunset, a forest, and a group of friends were featured in many of the pictures. Indigo pulled them down before Dylan could look at them long enough. "If you have anything you can hang up, you're welcome to do so."

Dylan peeked inside of his backpack. "I've got nothing."

"Oh, come on!" Saturn exclaimed. "You have to have _something_ you could put up on the wall!" They grabbed Dylan's backpack and pulled it to their bed. Dylan stood up to grab it back, but Indigo pulled him to the side, just out of reach of Saturn. Dylan pulled his arm back and turned around to find Saturn holding a picture in their hands. "Who's this?"

Dylan ripped the picture from their hands. "My mom. Don't touch it again, or else I'll break your finger."

"You seem pretty protective over that picture."

"I haven't seen her in a long time, and I won't see her for a while," Dylan mumbled. He grabbed his backpack and put the picture back.

Indigo sat beside Saturn on their bed. "Were you two close?"

Dylan took off his still damp hoodie and dropped it onto the floor. "Yep."

"Then why did you come here?" Saturn questioned. "Most of the people here don't have a family or anyone who supports them."

Dylan shrugged. "Am I not allowed to join because I just fucking felt like it?"

Saturn put up their hands in surrender as they grabbed their hoodie hanging on the side of their bed. "We need to get going if we want to still have dinner with Alexis."

Indigo waved Saturn towards the door. "You go ahead. I'll let our buddy here change first so I can walk him there. He'd get lost on his own."

Ignoring Indigo's comment, he reached into his backpack, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt he had stolen from George. The nerdy shirt had a joke that Dylan didn't quite understand, but the shirt itself was incredibly comfortable, so he didn't care. "Is there somewhere I can change?"

Indigo pointed at a door in the corner of the small room, past the dresser and desk against the wall. "We share, so don't touch anything in there that isn't yours."

Dylan rolled his eyes, then slid into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. There weren't any windows, leaving the only light source being the ugly, yellow light bulb that flickers every few seconds. The floor looked like it had never been mopped, and the mirror was scratched beyond belief, rendering it useless. Hanging on the wall were multiple baskets that held everyone's toiletries. Dylan figured he'd put his stuff there when he had the chance after dinner. He also made a mental note to buy some disinfecting wipes the next time he had the opportunity. If there was one thing he picked up from Clay, it'd be the want to keep everything clean. He changed as fast as he could to avoid staying in the bathroom longer than he had to.

When he came back out, Indigo was leaning against the door, his phone in his hand. Dylan tossed his damp clothes onto the ground beside his bunk, then nodded at Indigo. "I'm ready." Indigo didn't say a word. All he did was open the door and walk into the hall. Dylan followed him, assuming he was leading the way to Alexis.

The large building Dylan now called home was kind of like a giant storage container. The walls that separated the rooms looked man-made and uneven, some parts of the wall not even finished. Their footsteps echoed on the metal floor below them. Dylan was thankful that his bedroom at least had carpet and painted walls.

As they got closer to their destination, Dylan could hear Alexis shouting, "WHERE ARE MY TABLESPOONS?! WHO MOVED THEM?!"

Indigo popped a door open, revealing a small room with a kitchen, a table big enough for the four of them, and a bed tucked into the corner. Saturn was sitting at the table, laughing at Alexis hopelessly digging through drawers for tablespoons. When they saw Dylan and Indigo walk in, they waved the two over to the table. Dylan awkwardly took a seat across from Saturn as Alexis continued to rage over his missing cooking utensils.

"Where. The fuck. Are my. **Tablespoons**?" He then turned around and moved the sack of flour, finding some measuring cups on the other side. He picked them up, excited to begin. "Ayeee, I found my tablespoons! Now...which one is the tablespoon?"

Dylan leaned forward in his seat and whispered, "Has he ever used 'tablespoons' before?"

Saturn looked over at Alexis. "I'm not sure."

Alexis inspected the cups. "These are some big ass tablespoons."

"Should we tell him those aren't tablespoons?" Dylan asked.

Indigo shook his head. "No, let's just see how this goes."

Alexis grabbed the sugar, perplexed as he began to pour it into the largest measuring cup. "I didn't know Pizza Hut used this much sugar."

"Are we going to be eating this?" Dylan asked. Both Saturn and Indigo nodded. "Alexis, wait. That's a cup, not a tablespoon."

Alexis looked down at the cup and laughed. "Oh! My bad, my bad."

Dylan got up from his seat and grabbed the measuring spoons that had been tossed off to the side. "You see this one right here? That's a tablespoon. You don't need any more sugar than that for the dough."

Alexis measured a tablespoon of sugar and dumped it into a large bowl of water. Dylan started to sit down but stopped when he heard Alexis say, "I like a little extra sugar in my pizza!" He turned around and found that he had shoveled another spoonful of sugar into the bowl.

Dylan went back and washed his hands. "I'm helping you make this damn thing. You suck at this."

"Why are you washing your hands?" Alexis asked.

"Um, because that's what you do before you handle food, especially when serving it to other people."

Alexis stared at Dylan for a second, then looked at his own hands. "Oh shit, I forgot to wash my hands."

Dylan stepped out of the way and looked at a piece of yellow lined paper as Alexis washed his hands. The note was titled "Pizza Instructions" and had an entire pizza recipe, hastily written out in chicken scratch. The ink from the pen Alexis used was starting to bleed because it got wet at some point. "Which steps have you done already?"

Alexis rubbed his wet hands on his apron, then took the piece of paper from Dylan. "Well, I'm going to be honest here, I'm not sure."

Dylan groaned. "What have you done so far?"

"I got the bowl, put water in it, then added sugar. That's all."

"Did you preheat the oven?"

"Did I what now?"

Dylan pinched the bridge of his nose. "You have to turn the oven on and give it time to heat up before you can cook anything in it."

"OH! THAT'S WHAT THAT MEANT!" Alexis looked at his paper, then went to the oven and set it to preheat to four hundred degrees. "Okay, how long will it take?"

Dylan narrowed his eyes at the oven, attempting to remember if that was something George taught him. "You know, I'm honestly not sure. I think ovens vary depending on a lot of different factors."

Alexis then grabbed a small bag from the counter behind him. "Did you know it's actually really hard to find yeast in the store? I was only able to find this vegan yeast. It says on the back that it's good on popcorn."

Dylan then remembered the time he tried making bread using the same kind of yeast. George had warned him that there was a kind of yeast not made for cooking, but Dylan didn't pay attention and ended up using the wrong type of yeast. The bread was awful, and he wasn't allowed to touch the bread maker again. "Alexis, if you use that yeast, you will fuck up the entire thing."

"The man added two tablespoons of sugar to the thing," Saturn pointed out with a laugh. "I'm already preparing to die. Indigo is writing his will. We welcome death."

Alexis measured the yeast out accordingly, then gagged once it was in the bowl. "This shit smells _awful_ , man! What the hell?"

Dylan stepped back, not knowing how to tell Alexis that there was no way the pizza would be edible. As Alexis continued adding more ingredients into the mix, Dylan tried to teach him the same cooking basics George had taught him before. Unfortunately, none of his teachings stuck with Alexis. By the time the dough was made, Dylan was ready to go to bed hungry. He was terrified of eating the monstrosity Alexis had managed to create.

"Alright! All we need to do is cook this bad boy for twenty-five minutes. Then, we can feast!" Alexis slid the pizza into the oven and stood back, proud of what he had accomplished. All Dylan could do was accept that the pizza would be gross, take off his apron, then sit down across from Saturn once again.

"Did your mom teach you how to cook?" Saturn asked.

"No, my dad did." Dylan smiled to himself. "He was a great chef. I loved the nights that it was his night to cook."

Saturn nodded. "Huh. Cool. Were you close with your dad?"

Dylan hesitated, not quite knowing how to respond. He could talk about his real dad and how he died, Clay and how overbearing, yet loving he was, George and how nurturing he could be; the possibilities were endless. Instead, he answered it the best way he could. "Were you?" It shifted the attention onto Saturn, which was exactly what he needed.

Saturn sunk back into their seat. "I don't exactly have a relationship with my parents."

"I'm sorry to hear that." While he didn't mean to hurt Saturn, he didn't need them asking more questions. He needed to come up with a solid cover story first.

A knock at the door pulled everyone's attention from their activities. "Come in!" Alexis called out.

The door opened, and in stepped a man dressed in an expensive suit, his treacherous smile stretched across his face. "I was told that our newest initiate was in here, so I had to come say hi!" The man extended his hand out to Dylan. "Hi, Dylan. I'm Schlatt. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Dylan took his hand and looked him in the eyes. "Please, the pleasure is mine."

Schlatt looked down at their locked hands. "Wow, quite the grip you've got there."

Dylan continued staring at the same spot, slightly startling Schlatt when he looked back up. "Thanks. I've been told I have a nice handshake before, but it means a lot coming from you."

"Oh, does it now?" Schlatt asked.

Dylan released his hand. "Did you only come here to introduce yourself?"

"Straight to the point, are we?" Schlatt straightened his suit jacket. "I wanted to inform you that your initiation has only just begun. In a few nights, you will be accompanying a team that will be raiding an agent's house. I will meet with you soon to give you more information. I just wanted to prepare you for what's to come." Schlatt stepped towards the door. "Goodnight, you all. I expect to see you all up bright and early tomorrow. Sweet dreams."

When the door closed, Alexis crossed his arms. "He never talks to new initiates. I guess you caught his attention."

Dylan was too lost in his thoughts to even hear Alexis. He was stuck on the raid he'd have to participate in. A million questions bounced around in his head. Who's home would he be raiding? Would he have to see any agents he knows? Would they recognize him? But there was one question in particular that scared him.

_Why was he excited to join the raid?_

———  
 **Word Count: 2167**

If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider joining my discord! We have a lot of fun there. The link will be posted in the comments attached to the link itself! :D

Discord - https://discord.gg/f42e8V9dQD

_Published: March 4th_


	13. Chapter 12

Dylan left dinner with the others early, feeling exhausted from everything that had happened. He had refused to eat Alexis’s pizza, which he didn’t mind. Alexis didn’t eat much of it either. He took a bite then made himself a sandwich, deciding he didn’t want to die from his pizza. Dylan’s lungs still burned from his time spent underwater, and he had a pounding headache, which led him to ask to be excused early. After a few minutes of wandering around the halls, he eventually made it back to his room.

As he laid down in his bed, he couldn’t stop thinking of Schlatt. His smile was haunting and welcoming at the same time. He couldn’t tell if Schlatt was as dangerous as he was made out to be. How could someone so charismatic be such a psychopath? That was all he could think about as he drifted off to sleep. 

Dylan shot up in his bed two hours later, sweat dripping down his face. He wiped his forehead dry as Clay and George’s voices echoed through his head, begging for him to save them. He hated nightmares like these. They shook him up and haunted him, making it impossible to sleep. Dylan laid back down for a few minutes, but when he couldn’t manage to fall back asleep, he sat up, grabbed his flashlight, then pulled a book from his backpack. It was one that his mom sent him not too long ago about some kids who developed superpowers. Half of the story was written from the villain’s point of view, which grabbed Dylan’s attention. His mom had read the entire series, and she told him that he would relate to the villain quite a bit. So far, all the evil mastermind had done so far was kill a few people and disguise herself as a good guy to join the heroes for information.

Yeah.  _ Real relatable _ . 

The doorknob to the bedroom started to jiggle open. Dylan realized he was alone in the room. Indigo and Saturn were probably out with Alexis still. He pulled the blanket to cover his head, hoping that whoever was coming in wouldn’t try to talk to him. He just wanted to be alone.

The door squeaked open as someone clumsily stepped into the room. It sounded like the person tripped in the doorway as they came in. “ _ Indigo? _ ” A voice loudly whispered. “ _ Saturn? _ ”

“They aren’t here,” Dylan responded. 

The person gasped. “WHO SAID THAT?”

Dylan pulled the blanket off of himself. “Uh, me?” Dylan found himself looking at a guy around his age. The light from the doorway outlined his silhouette, showing off his unruly, curly hair. His shirt fit his lean body loosely. His jeans were cuffed and his tan boots were untied. “Can I help you?”

“Where are my friends?” The teenager asked. 

Dylan shrugged. “All I know is that they aren’t here. They are probably out with that Alexis guy.”

He staggered forward and placed a finger against Dylan’s lip. “Shh. You’ll wake them up.” His breath smelt of alcohol, mixed with something sweet that Dylan couldn’t quite place. That would explain his lack of balance. 

Dylan grabbed the guy’s wrist and moved it away from his face. “Don’t touch me.” 

The teen stepped back and leaned up against the other bunk bed, allowing the hallway light to shine in his face. Dylan quickly noticed his deep green eyes and freckled, tan cheeks. “Can you go now, dude?”

“Olive,” the boy said. 

“Huh?”

“My name is Olive. It’s like the name ‘Oliver’, but my parents got too tired to write the R.” He ran a hand through his hair as he giggled. “Funny name. What’s your name?”

Dylan closed his book and set it beside him. “Dylan. Now, can you please leave?” 

Olive giggled. “ _ Dylan _ . I like it! It’s cute, just like you.”

Dylan rolled his eyes and stood up. “Look, Olive, thanks for stopping by, but I need you to get out. I’m not going to babysit you.” He looked up at Olive, who’s dilated eyes were locked on him. “Leave.”

A smile slowly grew across Olive’s face. “What happens if I don’t?”

“I’ll kick your ass.”

Olive pushed a strand of Dylan’s hair out of his face. “You don’t scare me, but nice try.” He pushed past Dylan and sat on his bed. “I’ll just wait until Saturn and Indigo get back.”

“I don’t know when they will be back. They may not be coming back tonight.”

“I guess you’re stuck with me then!” He pulled Dylan’s blanket and wrapped it around himself, knocking the book to the floor. “This is a comfy blanket.”

Dylan groaned as he forced the blanket off of Olive. “If you tell me where your room is, I’ll take you there.”

“Do you wanna know a secret?” Olive asked. 

“No. Where the hell did you come from? I want to take you back.”

“But I have a secret to tell you!”

“Dude, I don’t want to hear it.”

Olive batted his eyelashes and leaned in closer to Dylan. “Please, Dylan?”

Dylan rolled his eyes. “Fine. What?”

Olive pulled Dylan closer, their cheeks brushing each other’s as he whispered in his ear, “I have no idea where the fuck my room is. That’s part of why I’m here.”

Dylan let out a long, exaggerated sigh, then pushed away from Olive. “You’re starting to get on my last nerve.”

Olive laid down on Dylan’s pillow. “I have that effect on people.” 

“You’re an asshole, you know?” Dylan asked. “You barge in here, drunk off your ass, then try to flirt with me while casually taking over my bed. And all because you got fucking lost.” He looked back at Olive, expecting some sort of response, but found he had fallen asleep. Dylan let out a breath as he looked at him. Olive looked peaceful. He couldn’t bring himself to wake him up. 

Saturn stepped into the doorway, their silhouette casting a shadow across the entire room. “Everything okay?”

Dylan pointed to the bed. “Your friend here came looking for you. He’s lost and drunk.”

Saturn laughed as they got on their knees. They shook Olive, gently saying his name until he woke up. “You good?”

Olive smiled. “Heeeeeeeeey! Saturn is here! My bestest friend. I love you.”

“Why were you drinking?”

Olive booped Saturn’s nose. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“I would. That’s why I asked.”

“Well, too bad!” 

Indigo then walked into the room. He looked around for a moment, then saw Olive on the bed. “Olive?”

Olive sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Heeeeeeeeey! Indigo is here! My bestest friend. I love you too.”

“I thought I was your favorite!” Saturn teased. 

Olive then began to panic. “Don’t say that too loud! He’s right there!” 

Saturn looked back at Indigo. “He’s drunk.”

“Again?” Indigo groaned. “Olive, why?”

“I don’t know!” Olive responded, slowly standing up from the bed. 

Indigo grabbed Olive and playfully pinned him against the wall. “Why the hell are you drunk?”

Olive looked away, blushing as he giggled uncontrollably. “This has been fun. We should do this again. If you must know, I was busy getting on Schlatt’s good side. He offered me a drink, and it’d look good if I took it. I took every single one he offered me.”

“How many did you have?” Indigo asked. He moved his hand from Olive’s wrist, finding he had marked lines on himself in sharpie. Indigo counted the lines, then glared at Olive. “You’re going to be fucked in the morning.”

“It was worth it!” Olive looked at Dylan. “I got in good with the big boss man and met a cute boy. I call that a win.” He then looked at his stomach. “I need the bathroom. Like, now.” Indigo let go of him as he dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

“Is he always like this?” Dylan asked.

Indigo laughed. “Hell, no! He’s usually much more chill, but he’s been trying to get noticed by Schlatt lately. This is, like, the second time this has happened or something.”

“He’s also not always this flirty, either,” Saturn pointed out. “He likes you.”

“He’s drunk!” Dylan laughed. 

“A drunk man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts,” Indigo responded. “You should flirt back. You two would be cute.”

Dylan turned bright red. “Excuse me?”

“You want to get in good with the gang, right?” Saturn asked. “Olive is your way in. Everyone loves him. If you two start dating, you’d get a ton of respect around here.” 

Dylan shook his head. “I don’t know, guys. Maybe later?”

Indigo shrugged. “Your loss, dude.”

“It’s fine! I bet you can’t even flirt, anyway!” Saturn laughed, pointing a finger at Dylan. 

Dylan scoffed. “Oh, please. I can flirt. Fuck off.”

“Prove it!” Saturn crossed their arms. “Flirt with Olive.”

Dylan shifted uncomfortably, then grumbled, “Fine.”

Olive came out of the bathroom, a confident smile upon his face as if he wasn’t just puking. He looked Dylan up and down, then giggled. “You’re cute.”

“Have you looked in a mirror lately?” Dylan internally cringed. How the hell was George able to make a career out of this shit?

Olive crossed his arms. “Trying to be smooth, huh?” He approached Dylan until he was pressed up against the bunk bed frame. He placed a hand beneath Dylan’s jaw and tilted his head. Olive leaned in and whispered, “You’re a fighter. I like that.”

Dylan gagged, pushing Olive away. “I can’t do this.”

Saturn wheezed. “I knew you couldn’t flirt!”

“I CAN TO!” Dylan groaned. “Guys, I have a lover outside of the gang and xe and I have been together for a while. I’m happy with my relationship, and I’m not looking for anything new.”

Olive frowned. “Why are all of the cute guys taken?” He looked back at Dylan. “If you were single, would you go on a date with me?”

Dylan shook his head. “You’re drunk.”

“If you were single and I was sober, would you go on a date with me?”

“You’re not my type.”

Olive snapped. “Damn it. Oh well, I tried.” 

Indigo grabbed a blanket and threw it at Olive. “Dude, you’re sleeping here tonight. You need to sleep. Do you have your stuff with you?”

Olive patted his pockets, then pulled out a ziplock bag with a few white pills in it. “I don’t go anywhere without an emergency bag.”

Dylan looked at the bag, disgusted. “Just when I thought you guys were cool, you pull out a bag of drugs.”

Indigo rolled his eyes as he took the bag from Olive. “It’s legit medication, not drugs. Chill out.” He put the bag into his pocket, then pointed at the bottom bunk that Dylan didn’t claim. “Sleep there tonight. I’ll wake you up for your medication tomorrow.”

Olive curled up in the bed and threw the pillow over his head. Within minutes, he was lightly snoring. Dylan settled into his bed and pulled the book and light back out. Once everyone was settled in their beds, the room grew silent once again. It was as if no one else was there with him. Dylan managed to drift off to sleep for a second time that night.

As quickly as he had fallen asleep, Dylan was awoken by Indigo’s hushed voice. “Olive, it’s time.” Olive whined and pulled the blanket over his head in response. Dylan peeked at an alarm clock beside the other bunk bed and saw that it was 9:00 am. “Dude, get up. Don’t you remember what happened last time you missed your meds?”

“I know, I know,” Olive mumbled. He sat up in bed and took the white pills Indigo had in his hands, following it with a drink of water from a cup he handed him. “Thanks. Fuck, my head hurts.” He then noticed Dylan looking at him. “Can I help you?”

“What do you take medication for?” Dylan asked. “It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me.”

“Epilepsy.” Olive slowly stood up, holding his head as he rose. “I’m going to go back to my room and sleep. Can you come get me for lunch?”

Indigo put the cup down beside the alarm clock. “Sure thing.”

Olive fist-bumped him. “Thanks.” He then left the room as fast as a teenager with a hangover could. 

Once he was officially out of the room, Dylan shook his head. “He seems like a handful.”

“So do you,” Indigo retorted. “Get up and get moving. I need to show you around today.”

Dylan took his blanket off and rubbed his face, ready to get started. He was going to become an official gang member, no matter how long it took.

———  
**Word Count: 2124**

If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider joining my discord! We have a lot of fun there. The link will be posted in the comments attached to the link itself! :D

Discord - https://discord.gg/f42e8V9dQD

_Published: March 12th_


End file.
